Wanderlust
by Caseorogue
Summary: There's nowhere in the world where you can hide from yourself.
1. Lost in the Green

Namie woke up.

The first thing she realized, before she had even opened her eyes, was that she had a splitting headache. That was already an unwelcome sign. She heaved a sigh as she opened her eyes.

The second thing she realized was that she didn't know where she was. It was dark enough that she couldn't see anything right away, but as her eyes adjusted she began to pick out little details.

It didn't look like a building. It didn't look like Ikebukuro. The walls looked like natural rock. A cave, then. As she sat up, her dark hair fell in her eyes, and she grumbled to herself as she brushed it aside.

 _I'm still dreaming._ That was her first thought. The situation didn't make much sense to her otherwise. However, as her eyes continued to adjust, she had a third realization that quickly dispelled that notion.

She was not alone. It was a little difficult to make out exact shapes in the low light, but she'd recognize Izaya Orihara just about anywhere. She felt her headache get a touch worse as she confirmed with a light touch on his hand that he was real, and not an illusion.

"Okay, I'm not dreaming." She said quietly to herself. "I would never dream of this asshole."

Her voice echoed faintly off the walls of the cave, and a moment later she heard Izaya groan. She sat back and glared at him as, one by one, he went through the same realizations she had gone through a minute ago. He blinked several times, his eyes almost invisible in the darkness, before turning to her. "Uh, Namie. Where the hell are we?"

Namie's glare only intensified at the confused tone in his voice. "I don't know, but wherever we are, it's probably your fault I got dragged along for the ride."

Izaya chuckled at the frustration her voice, though she thought she saw him wince as he did so. Maybe his head was aching just as much as hers. "You're always a ray of sunshine, Namie. I'm so glad I could wake up to you." As he spoke, he slowly rose to his feet. She heard a couple pebbles scatter across the stone floor as he got up.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"What do you think? Getting out of this dank little cave and finding out where we are." Izaya replied as he began to walk towards the lit part of the cave.

Namie scowled after him. Even in a situation like this, he annoyed her. As the distance between them increased, however, she suddenly felt just a little uncomfortable in the darkness of the cave, and she hastened to get up and begin following him. "Hey, wait up."

Izaya said nothing as he continued to lead the way. She caught up to him a few steps later and together they reached the mouth of the cave. Namie squinted against the orange-red sunlight as she took in their surroundings.

They were in a forest of some sort. Trees, grass, bushes and boulders stretched off into the distance as far as she could see. The sun was either setting or rising. She didn't see an indication of civilization anywhere.

"Well, I've still got no idea where we are." Izaya admitted as he looked around with her. He fumbled in his pockets one at a time before grimacing. "No phone. No wallet or keys, either. Whoever ditched us here must've taken them."

Namie flinched, before checking her own pockets and turning up nothing as well. She groaned as she set her head in her hands. "You _idiot._ What have you gotten me into?" She said.

"Hey now. Don't assume whoever did this was after me. Plenty of people hate your guts, too." Izaya replied. She felt him elbow her in the arm, and she turned to glare at him. He didn't catch it, however, as he turned to start walking in a random direction. "C'mon. We're not gonna get anything done standing around."

Namie stared after him for several moments more before sullenly falling into step behind him. She carefully schooled her frustration back, letting her think clearly for a few moments. If she had one talent, it was being hard to faze.

She and Izaya had been dumped somewhere unfamiliar and deprived of any easy means of getting out. She would likely be stuck with him for the foreseeable future. That was uncomfortable enough already.

But what nagged her most at the moment was Seiji. What would become of him with her gone? Had he somehow been caught up in this mess, too? Even if he hadn't, her chest ached as she considered the thought of him still in Ikebukuro without her. She needed to get back to him, and quickly. She hadn't been far from him in years, and she intended to keep it that way after this mess was sorted out.

She hurried after Izaya until she caught up to him again. "Do you have a plan?" She asked him.

Izaya shrugged, looking around as he did. He seemed to be searching for something, but she could only guess what. "My only plan right now is walking until we find something. Anything more elaborate is kinda hampered by the fact that I can't remember anything that led up to this point."

Namie blinked as she considered his words, then racked her memory. She felt a little cold as she realized that she, too, was missing any recollection of what she'd been doing prior to now. She didn't even know what day it was. The last thing she could recall was another ordinary day in Ikebukuro, working in Izaya's office. "I… can't remember anything either." She admitted.

Izaya rolled his eyes. "That one was kind of obvious. I don't see why you'd remember if I didn't."

He had a point, but his attitude was as obnoxious as ever. She decided to take a different tack. "If you've gotten Seiji caught up in whatever is going on here, I'm going to kill you." She warned him.

Izaya paused as they strolled up to a fallen tree. He took a step back before nimbly hopping over the trunk, turning back to grin at her once he was on the other side. "I'm pretty sure you're the only one who's worrying about your precious Seiji right now." He said before turning away to keep on walking.

Namie scowled at him before ducking under the fallen tree, crawling through the small space before straightening up on the other side and hurrying to catch up to him yet again. It was starting to get dark, Namie realized. The sun was setting, then. As she glanced towards the horizon, she couldn't see more than a glimmer of sunlight left. "Lost in a forest in the middle of the night…" She brooded aloud.

"Sounds like an adventure, don't you think?" Izaya said merrily.

"Sounds more to me like a recipe for a broken leg." Namie retorted, keeping her eyes on the ground ahead of her now. She'd be damned if she'd let a trip and fall keep her from Seiji.

She was lost in thought as her thoughts drifted to Seiji again for a minute, before Izaya's grating voice brought her back. He was staring at her intently when she looked his way. "You've got the 'Seiji look' on your face again. Is he really the main thing you're concerning yourself with right now?"

Namie narrowed her eyes at him. "Why shouldn't I be thinking about him? You should know by now that everything I do is for his sake."

Izaya shook his head with a grin. "I don't know about that, Namie. You've got an awful lot of pride for someone who claims to be subservient." His smile gained a few teeth as he continued to stare at her. "Sometimes I think you just chase him out of habit."

She took a deep breath as she had to restrain her irritation once more. Izaya was always doing this to her - pushing her buttons, looking for ways to test her or set her off. It was just another one of his games, and she'd always hated it. She forced herself to smirk back at him as she replied, "The love I have for Seiji is something you'll never have for yourself."

She thought she saw a flicker of irritation on his features. She savored it as he looked away, his grin slowly fading. "And that is something I will always be grateful for."

The night grew steadily darker as they carried on walking. Namie ended up walking closer to Izaya to avoid losing track of him in the darkness. She didn't like him, but she was unenthused by the prospect of exploring a vast forest alone at night. She settled for not talking to him for now. Talking to him only gave him opportunities to play his games.

For his part, Izaya seemed content to just keep exploring. She found herself more interested in the way he moved than in their surroundings. She'd seen him at work plenty of times, but seeing him adapt to a new environment was interesting, to say the least. With nobody to rile up, his usual mischievous grin was gone, replaced by a distant, critical look as he surveyed his surroundings.

This was the Izaya she'd gone to for help back when she'd first run into trouble with Mika Harima in Ikebukuro. Crafty, resourceful, and intelligent. It was a shame that whenever he opened his mouth, he betrayed his unlikeable personality.

Namie's musings were broken by the sound of a distant rumbling. The branches of the trees around them shook ever so slightly as it drew closer. "Down." Izaya whispered, grabbing her wrist as he knelt beside her and dragging her down with him. She glared at him as she pulled her wrist away, though she stayed down as he'd requested.

The rumbling grew louder and louder until it coalesced into the clearer sound of a horse's hooves. For a moment, Namie wondered if they shouldn't be shouting for attention.

The moment passed quickly, however, when she caught sight of the source of the noise. A horse, seemingly made entirely out of inky-black shadows, led a carriage of similar composition through the underbrush, disturbing branches and leaves alike as it plowed onwards. In the carriage, she could just barely see what looked like a beautiful young woman.

The only thing off about her was that her head was in her hand, instead of seated on her neck. The woman's eyes surveyed her surroundings as the horse and carriage carried on. Namie froze as her gaze passed over the patch of brush where she and Izaya hid. Fortunately, she didn't seem to notice them, and she disappeared into the surrounding thicket as the rumble of hooves receded.

The two of them waited until the sound had faded completely before Izaya stood up. As she stood up with him, she realized he was only barely holding back laughter. She tilted her head to one side as she looked at him incredulously. "Is it really that funny to you?" She said.

Izaya's grin was the most visible part of him in the moonlight as he turned to her. "It really is." He replied as he slowly calmed down. "I guess we know where we are, now."

Namie sighed as she turned to stare at where the dullahan had disappeared to. "I guess so." She agreed. "That's one question down. The next one is, why would someone go to the trouble of ditching us in _Ireland?_ "

* * *

"Dublin's in the eastern part of Ireland, right…?" Izaya had asked, consulting a somewhat shaky memory of geography. He and Namie had roughly figured out the cardinal directions based on where the sun had gone down, and for now they'd adjusted their course roughly east in the hopes of eventually finding a road.

With no watches or phones between the two of them, Namie couldn't tell how long they'd been walking, but eventually, her legs were starting to protest. Based on the way Izaya was slowing down, she could guess he was feeling the burn too. "Do you want to stop for a bit?" She asked him.

"The more time we waste, the longer you'll be away from your precious Seiji." Izaya snarked, though she could see his steps falter for a moment as he spoke.

She shivered. That was true, but she'd come to the understanding early on that she'd be of no use to Seiji if she got herself injured or killed on the way back to him. "The footing is bad, and it's gotten even darker since we started walking. If we break an ankle or collapse, it'll take even longer to get back home." She protested.

Izaya stopped for a moment, looking back over his shoulder at her with his usual grin. "Since when are you an expert on hiking?"

She matched his grin with her usual expression of boredom. "It's common sense."

"Fine, fine." Izaya said, putting on a good-natured tone as he sat down. She saw the way his legs shook for a moment as he finally gave them a rest.

She frowned as she sat down, too, leaning against a nearby tree as she eyed him. "So what's with the tough-guy act?" She asked.

Izaya blinked at her, still smirking. "Tough-guy act?" He said. Just by his tone she'd probably never have guessed he was faking.

Namie nodded. "Of course. Since we woke up in that cave, you've been acting like you're in total control of the situation, despite obviously being scared out of your wits and as confused as I am. I'm wondering why you bother with all that." She said matter-of-factly.

She saw Izaya's eyebrow twitch. "I don't know what you're talking about, Namie."

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone if you cry." She said, one corner of her lips curling up as she leaned her head back on the trunk of the tree supporting her, letting her eyes drift off of Izaya.

She heard Izaya huff a breath and shift slightly, disturbing the leaves around him. She knew her barb had stung him, and that was all she needed to feel content for now.

Unfortunately, he decided to keep talking a minute later. "So while we're on the topic of coping mechanisms, why does your mind _still_ go to Seiji whenever you could be doing something for yourself? It's been months since you went into hiding. You barely see him anymore, but still you use him as your little excuse to avoid growing as a person."

Namie grit her teeth and lowered her head to glare at Izaya. "We've been over this. I _love_ Seiji. You don't just stop thinking about someone you love." Her little smile returned for a moment. "Like I've said before, I guess you wouldn't understand that."

Izaya was unperturbed. "You're a brilliant girl. You could've been a medical prodigy if you'd focused on yourself. Instead you got yourself fired and on the run from the police trying to please that little brother of yours. You got put on _my_ leash to keep him safe." Izaya's eyes narrowed slowly in the low light. "And for all that he still barely even thinks about you."

For once, Namie was having trouble controlling her anger. Seiji was always a tender subject for her, and Izaya knew it perfectly well. "Don't talk to me about Seiji." She snapped. "You don't know what it's like."

Izaya leaned forward with a gloating note to his voice as he spoke. "No, I don't. I don't let people chain me down. I don't let people become my excuses."

"Bite me." She hissed.

Izaya gave her a bemused look as he tilted his head slightly to one side. "I would, but I don't think you'd like it. I'm not Seiji, after all."

Namie let out a shaky breath as she looked away. Why, of all people, did she have to be stranded with _him?_

Silence fell between them for several minutes. Eventually, Izaya got up, stretching as he did so. "I think I'm ready to keep going." He said. Namie glared at him from where she sat, before silently rising to stand beside him. Izaya gave her an expectant look. When she didn't say anything, he smiled. "Aw, did I hurt your feelings?" He said.

She didn't say anything. She just scowled at him, and turned to continue walking. A moment later she heard a crunch of leaves behind her and knew that Izaya was following her. "Good to see you taking the initiative. That's how you'll win Seiji over, I'm sure." He said.

Namie stared ahead of her, carefully ignoring him. He knew he'd gotten to her; she'd already lost this one. Now it was simply a matter of minimizing the damage he could do. She was very good at not giving Izaya the satisfaction of seeing her boil over.

"You know, I'm really glad you got dragged out here with me, Namie." Izaya said, lengthening his stride to catch up to her. She turned her head and raised an eyebrow at him, not expecting much. "There's nobody I'd rather piss off while wandering through Ireland. You're really a special lady."

She'd expected about as much. She turned her head to look forward again, focusing on her footing and avoiding bumping into things. She could feel Izaya's eyes on her, waiting for a reaction that wouldn't come. Eventually, she heard him sigh ever so quietly and go silent. She smiled to herself. That was her victory.

A few minutes later, the foliage abruptly cleared as Namie and Izaya stumbled onto a clear section of dirt. As she looked around, she realized it was a small dirt road. "Finally, a trace of civilization." She said wearily, momentarily forgetting her quarrel with Izaya.

"Now the question is, which way do we follow it?" Izaya said, glancing back and forth along the path. It wound off into the distance both north and south, perpendicular to their previous trajectory.

Namie debated for a moment before gesturing down the road to her left. "I'd say north."

"Any reasons for that?" Izaya asked her, crossing his arms over his chest.

Namie knelt in the dirt as she gestured to what looked like a set of faded hoofprints. "More of them are going north than south. I'm assuming that means the nearest town is that way."

Izaya stared at the dirt she'd indicated. "I guess so." He admitted, not hiding his surprise for once. "Maybe I'll give you a bonus when we get back."

Namie smiled a little as she stood up and began walking again, this time to the north. "Wait until we find out whether I'm right or not."

* * *

It was just starting to grow light again when Izaya and Namie caught sight of the little village. It looked rural, mostly farmland, but it was obviously inhabited based on how well-maintained it all looked. "I guess you're getting that bonus." Izaya commented as the two of them looked it over.

"I better be." Namie said with a smirk as she surveyed the town before turning to Izaya. "How's your English?"

Izaya frowned at her. "Do they speak English in Ireland?"

Namie frowned back at him. "I think so. I certainly hope so. I don't speak Gaelic."

Izaya grinned as he turned and started walking towards the town. "We'll figure it out." He said.

It was a little strange how quickly he could switch between analytical and careless, Namie reflected as she followed him. Maybe he just reveled in being unpredictable.

To their good fortune, they quickly caught sight of someone as they drew near. An older-looking farmer with a greying beard approached them with a wave. "Hey there, strangers." He said amicably, in English.

Izaya glanced at Namie, and she took the cue to take the initiative. "Hello there." She replied, fairly confident she could at least hold a steady conversation. "We're a bit lost." She explained.

"Lost?" The old man said, stroking his beard. "Where are you tryin' to get to?"

She traded another glance with Izaya before replying, "Dublin, for now."

The old man's eyes widened. "Well now, that's quite a ways away. Certainly further than I'd want to travel on foot."

"We need to get there, regardless." Izaya said before Namie could think of a reply.

The grey-haired farmer looked back and forth between the two of them. "Do the two of you have any supplies between you?" He asked.

Izaya looked away. Namie frowned at the farmer as she replied for him. "No. We don't even have phones."

The farmer blinked several times. "I thought everyone your age had a phone these days. What exactly happened to you?"

"We were robbed." Izaya said, putting on an innocent smile. It still looked devilish to Namie, but she supposed it was enough to fool the farmer.

"You poor things! That must've been awful." The old man said. "Look, I think I can give you some food and water, and maybe point you in the direction of Dublin if you're really determined to head there. You can use my phone if you need to call anyone."

Namie nodded. "We'd be very grateful." She said sincerely.

The old man smiled at her. "Of course, the walk to the city is still pretty damn long. If you're willin' to wait a week, I could probably take you at least as far as the next town when I go to market."

Izaya blinked. "Do you have a car?" He said.

The old man shook his head. "Nah, I just use horses. I never liked those noisy old things."

 _That explains the delay._ Namie thought. "We'll give it some real consideration." She said. She didn't want to wait a week, to be honest. She wanted to get back to Ikebukuro and Seiji as fast as possible.

"May we use your phone, then?" Izaya asked.

"Of course, of course. Come on in." The old man said, leading them to a sizeable farmhouse and opening the door with a key he produced from one of his pockets. "I'll see about getting something simple together for you to eat."

With that, he turned and disappeared into what looked like a kitchen, leaving Izaya and Namie in the foyer, where an old-looking phone hung on the wall. Namie gave Izaya a look. "Who are you planning to call?"

Izaya grinned as he stepped over to the phone and began punching in digits. "Shinra. I'm sure he can do something for us. Maybe he can get us plane tickets."

Namie sighed and leaned against the wall, watching Izaya as he put the phone to his ear. He waited for several seconds before apparently getting an answer.

"Hey, Shrina. Sorry to wake you up so early, but I'm in a bit of a fix." Izaya said cheerily.

Namie faintly heard someone speaking to him from the other end of the line.

Izaya's eyes widened. "Huh? What're you so worked up about?" He asked. He frowned as he listened for a few more seconds before saying. "Are you serious?" The reply was shorter that time. "That's, uh… something else." He said. "We'll deal with that later. The short of it is, I'm in Ireland right now, and I don't have any money on me. Can you do anything for me?"

The old farmer came in and set down a pair of small packs on the table. They looked full. He gave her a smile as he passed her by. "I'm going to go wake up the kids now. Everything alright down here?" He asked.

Namie tore her attention from Izaya's conversation to smile back at the farmer. "Yeah, we're doing alright. How do we get to Dublin from here, though?" She asked.

The farmer nodded. "Well, there's only one road that passes through here. You just keep following it the way you were going and you'll eventually hit a freeway. From there, you just wanna go east and the signage will show you the rest of the way." He explained.

Namie nodded back at him. "Thank you, sir. Your generosity is very much appreciated."

The farmer grinned. "Of course. I just hope you and your boyfriend don't have too hard a time of it." He said with a wink. "You're always welcome to stay until we can take you somewhere you can get a car."

Namie flinched at the farmer's words. He had apparently misread her and Izaya's situation quite badly. "R-right, sir. Like I said, we're considering it." She said through clenched teeth.

The old man apparently didn't catch her irritation as he gave her one last smile and turned to head up the stairs in the back of the room. Namie turned her attention to Izaya, focusing her anger on him instead of the kindly old farmer. He was her real problem.

Izaya sighed. "If that's the best you can do." He said. The voice on the other end of the phone said something else, and Izaya nodded. "Okay, then I guess that's settled. I'll try to get in touch again when I reach Dublin." He said. "Later, Shinra."

With that, he hung up the phone and strolled over to the table, grabbing one of the bags the farmer had left there and slinging it over his shoulder. Namie watched him. "So, what's the situation?"

Izaya stared blankly at the wall for a second before turning to look at her, his expression unusually quizzical. "Well, apparently nobody in Ikebukuro's seen us in over a week."

Namie's jaw dropped. "Have we been missing that long?"

Izaya grimaced at her. "I have no idea." He admitted. "The good news is, Shinra's willing to cover the cost of our flights when we get to Dublin. He'll fax us the tickets and everything."

Namie whistled. "Wow. And here I didn't think you had any friends."

Izaya grinned at her, though this time it was more bitter than gleeful or mischievous. "I don't. I'm going to be paying him back for this, for sure." He said, before stepping to the front door and opening it. "Grab your pack and let's go."

Namie blinked at him before doing as he said, letting the bag settle over her shoulder before following him outside. "Are we walking the rest of the way to the freeway, then?"

Izaya shook his head with a laugh. "Hell no. We're stealing one of this guy's horses."

Namie stared at him in disbelief. He really didn't have any standards. "You're awful." She said.

"I'm _efficient._ " He corrected her, hopping a fence as he headed for what looked like a set of stables.

Namie scowled as she followed him. The whole situation left a bad taste in her mouth, but she was as eager to get home as he was. She'd done worse things than this for Seiji. She'd get over it.

Together they walked into the stables. It smelled of unwashed animals and dirt. They passed by a few cows before coming to a horse. It nickered as it looked them both over cautiously. "Hey there." Izaya said in a remarkably soft voice as he leaned a little closer.

The horse took a hesitant step back. Izaya reached out his hand slowly. "I'm not gonna hurt ya. Just need to borrow you for a bit." He said. The horse stayed where it was, and eventually the palm of Izaya's hand brushed against its snout. It let out a soft breath as he stroked it a few times before pulling away. "Good boy." He said.

Namie, for her part, stood back and watched with a neutral expression. "Is there just the one horse?" She asked.

Izaya looked around for a moment before shrugging. "I only see the one." He said, before starting to unlock the horse's pen. "Go find a saddle and reins, will you?"

Namie glowered at his back before turning to search the stables. It didn't take her long to find what they needed, and by the time she got back, Izaya had the horse out and in the main aisle of the stables. "Here." She said simply.

"Thank you, assistant." Izaya said with a smirk as he accepted them. He set the reins in place before saddling the horse. It let out a few more hesitant breaths as he worked, but didn't react otherwise. He strolled to the horse's front and pet its neck a few times before grabbing the lead and beginning to guide it out of the stables. "C'mon."

Namie led the way out, followed by Izaya and the horse. The sun was creeping up ever higher in the sky, and the sky had turned a warm shade of blue now. She stared at it as Izaya looked around for the farmer before clambering up and into the saddle. "Namie?" He said, distracting her from her thoughts.

"Get your head out of the clouds." He said, patting the spot behind him.

"Do I _really_ have to ride with you?" She protested flatly.

Izaya smirked at her. "If we take the time to look for another horse, that farmer might catch us. We should probably take our chances with just the one."

Namie closed her eyes and took a deep breath before nodding. "Fine." She said, stepping up to the side of the horse. Izaya offered her a hand up. She glared at him before taking it and hauling herself onto the horse, sitting behind him in the saddle. "Let's go." She snapped irritably.

Izaya turned to look at her over his shoulder. "You, uh, might wanna hang on. Horses aren't exactly known for being gentle rides."

She blinked at him. "Hold onto what?" She asked.

Izaya's grin was back. "Well, I'm the one holding the reins."

Namie looked at him like he was used tissue paper as the answer came to her. "I am _not_ holding onto you."

Izaya's grin widened. "Suit yourself." He said, flicking the reins as he spoke. The horse whinnied before taking off.

Namie felt herself jerk backwards as the horse went into motion, and instinctively grabbed at the nearest handhold she could find - which in this case was Izaya, to her chagrin. Her arms were around his torso before she could think about it, and she growled as the horse turned and headed down the dirt path. "Fuck you! I could've died!" She spat.

Izaya laughed. "Sometimes you can be a little thick, Namie."

Namie grumbled under her breath as she turned to look away from him, reluctantly maintaining her hold on his midsection. She could already tell it would be a long ride.

* * *

It took them more than an hour to get to the freeway, and by the time they got there, Namie's legs were sore beyond belief. She had little experience with horses, and after this, she wasn't sure ever wanted to ride one again. It was a great relief to her when Izaya pulled the horse to a stop as they reached the paved road, a car zipping past them a moment later.

"Finally." Izaya said with a sigh of relief.

"I'm sick of riding this horse." Namie reported flatly, momentarily pulling her arms away from Izaya, where they'd reluctantly stayed the whole way.

"So am I. Are your legs sore?" Izaya said with an amused note to his voice. He waited until the highway was clear to walk the horse across to the other side, where eastbound traffic would be passing. "Let's get off." He said, letting go of the reins before hopping off and to the ground. He visibly winced as he landed, rubbing at one of his thighs afterwards.

Namie grimaced as she watched him before hopping off as well. The horse huffed a few times as it watched them. Namie's thighs protested painfully as they were finally freed from the position enforced by the saddle. "What now?" She said wearily.

Izaya watched the road with a thoughtful expression. "I think we should hitchhike the rest of the way." He said.

Namie had to admit that she'd like that too. She'd had more than her fair share of horse-riding for this lifetime. "What are we going to do about the horse, though?" She said.

"Easy." Izaya said, strolling over to the horse and grabbing its reins. "Get out of here!" He snapped the reins as he spoke. The horse whinnied and began to run away, and he let go of the reins as it did. It disappeared into the forest a few moments later.

Namie frowned as she watched it go. "You better hope we won't need it anymore." She said.

"It'll be fine. Nobody can resist picking up a pair as mysterious-looking as us." Izaya said before strolling up to the side of the road and pointing his thumb in the direction of Dublin. Namie stared at him for several seconds before joining him, and together they waited for someone to stop.

It took about ten minutes for a car to pull over for them. The driver's side window rolled down to reveal a young man with red hair and a close-cut beard. "Hey, where're you two headin'?" He asked in English.

Izaya smiled at the young man as he replied in the same dialect. "We're trying to get to Dublin. That on your way?" He asked.

The young man grinned. "That's exactly where I'm goin'. You're in luck." He said. "G'wan and get in."

"We appreciate it." Namie said, and she followed Izaya as he opened the back door and stepped in, sitting down on the other side. She sat down soon after and shut the door behind them, and a moment later they pulled back out onto the freeway.

"So, what're you two doin' in Ireland?" The driver said. "You don't look like you're from these parts."

Izaya grinned as he replied. "One part vacation, one part soul searching. It's been a very enlightening trip."

"Sounds like a good time." The driver observed, eyeing the two of them in the rearview mirror. "No car, though?" He said.

Izaya got that tone he always got when he started soliloquizing. "No, I'm afraid not. We wanted to see what the world was like without the ease of our own transportation. We wanted to explore this place as wanderers, at the mercy of nature and our fellow man, and let me tell you, it's been quite enlightening. I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had here for the world, my friend."

Namie rolled her eyes as she looked out the window at the passing greenery. The driver laughed. "I like you. You're just the right amount of crazy." He said. "My name's David, by the way."

Izaya nodded agreeably. "I'm Izaya, and this lovely lady here is my companion Namie."

David's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Say, are you two from Japan?"

Izaya's smile grew a little. "Why yes, we are. Why do you ask?"

David smiled as he stared out at the road. "Small world. I was just in Japan last month to visit a friend."

Izaya's mock surprise always irritated Namie. He was such an exaggerated actor; how did nobody ever see through him? "You're kidding me!" Izaya said. "That's an amazing coincidence."

"I'll say." David replied. "It's a great place, Japan. I'd live there myself if I could afford it." He paused for a moment before adding, "My Japanese ain't so great, but if it'd make you more comfortable I could certainly switch." He said.

Izaya shook his head and waved one hand dismissively. "No, no, please don't inconvenience yourself on our behalf. You're doing more than enough already by taking us where we need to go."

David laughed again. "Suit yourself, mister Izaya." His eyes went to the rearview mirror again, and Namie could tell he was looking at her now. "Your friend's awful quiet." He observed.

Izaya's smirk grew wicked, and Namie flinched when she saw it in the faint reflection of the window. "Oh, don't mind her. She's a bit preoccupied; You see, she's in love with her b-"

Izaya was interrupted as Namie's hand shot out to cover his mouth. He still finished his sentence even as it was muffled into unintelligibility. "I'm just feeling a bit under the weather, that's all." She said curtly with a glare at Izaya.

David wore a look of surprise for a moment before chuckling. "I definitely like you two. You're a very strange couple."

"We are _not_ a couple." Namie said firmly, ignoring Izaya's predictable smirk.

David blinked before smiling slightly. "I didn't mean it that way, but based on your reaction I'm guessin' you get that quite a lot."

"If I did, I'd probably kill myself." Namie growled.

"You wound me, my dear Namie." Izaya said, his voice dripping with feigned concern.

David whistled from his seat up front. "Now _that's_ tellin'."

Izaya sighed. "One of these days, Namie, I'm going to nurture that spite of yours into the tenderest sort of love." He said with a smile that only she could tell was mocking.

She smiled right back at him with the same level of scorn. "And until then, I'll carry on spiting you." She said with her own variety of mock sweetness.

"I think I'm goin' to enjoy this ride." David said as he settled in for the long trip to Dublin.


	2. Home is Where You Are

The drive took hours. Izaya passed most of it talking with David, while Namie watched the scenery and cars go by while thinking mostly about Seiji. She knew by now how to tune Izaya's voice out, and that skill served her well as she fretted over the whereabouts and wellbeing of her beloved brother.

 _Seiji…_ she thought to herself with a quiet sigh as Izaya kept right on talking in the background. "...And so you see, he's been trying to kill me ever since. I'm really not sure what about me gets him so riled up, but I don't suppose I'll ever really have a chance to ask, since approaching him inevitably makes him come after me with a lamppost." He explained.

David chuckled from his seat up front. "That Shizuo sounds like a fun guy to have around if he's not tryin' to kill ya. I wish I'd run into him durin' my visit." He said.

Izaya grinned, but Namie could tell by the little waver in his tone that he wasn't particularly happy with the young man's answer. "You might think otherwise if you had met him. Shizu-chan is more a random force of destruction than a person." Izaya replied.

"Oh, I'm sure. I guess I've just always liked a little randomness and danger in my life. Keeps things interestin', yanno?" David said.

"You and I, we're two of a kind." Izaya said.

"Maybe so." David said agreeably. He raised a hand to point ahead of him as the car passed under a large sign. "Looks like we're finally hitting the city limits." He reported.

Namie shook herself from her thoughts as she sat up to get a look at where they were going. The forest had receded a while ago to be replaced by hints of urban sprawl, and now that they were finally nearing their destination it was becoming increasingly dense. It didn't impress her - it looked like just about any other sizeable city - but it was a relief to finally be onto the next step of the journey home.

"Looks like a lovely place." Izaya commented as his eyes flickered back and forth.

"It sure is." David said. "Where should I be droppin' you two off?"

"The airport would be best." Izaya said.

"Sounds like a plan to me." David replied agreeably as they continued down the freeway, now surrounded by considerably more cars than before. "Guess you two are goin' home then?"

"Yes. We're done with our trip now." Namie said firmly, glancing in Izaya's direction. He'd been enjoying himself far too much ever since they first became stranded.

Izaya caught her look and smiled at her with poisonous sweetness. "That we are. I'm sure Namie here is eager to get back to her family." He said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "That I am." She agreed.

David was glancing at them in the rearview mirror again, though he had less time to do so with the rest of the traffic cloistered around him. "Why do I feel like there's some bad blood here I'm missin'?"

Namie put on a smile as she waved dismissively towards their inquisitive driver. "Izaya here is just a bit jealous that I actually have a loving family."

Izaya's smile never faltered. "And Namie doesn't quite understand what actually constitutes a 'loving' family." He said.

David frowned at their reflected images in his mirror. "You two are way too familiar to hate each other this much."

Namie crossed her arms with a huff. "On the contrary, my friend. I think we're far too familiar at this point _not_ to hate one another." Izaya said.

David shook his head with the smallest hint of a good-natured smile. "If that's how you wanna see it, friend, I won't stop you. I just hope you two'll resolve whatever's splittin' you before you both end up killin' each other."

"Unlikely." Namie said coldly.

David said nothing as he focused on his driving, and a few minutes later the car slowed down as a set of larger buildings pulled into view. Namie caught sight of a plane disappearing into the distance overhead. "We're comin' up on the airport. Anyplace special you need to be dropped off, or are you good anywhere?" David asked.

Izaya shook his head. "Anywhere's fine. But can I ask you for one last favor before we part?"

David raised an eyebrow at his rearview mirror. "What's that?"

Izaya looked a little sheepish for once as he spoke. "Can you spare some change for a payphone?"

David laughed before nodding as he pulled the car to a stop at a curb. "I think your stories have earned you at least that much." He said, fumbling around with a bag up front before pulling out a couple coins and passing them to Izaya.

"Thank you very much." Izaya said as he pocketed them. "Is this our stop?" He said as he looked out the window.

David nodded. "Yeah. Building to your right'll lead you straight in, and I think you can figure the rest from there."

"Again, we appreciate your generosity." Namie said as Izaya opened the door and stepped out. She followed him out a moment later.

"Give Shizuo my regards, will you?" David called through the driver's side window as he pulled away.

"Will do." Izaya said with a barely-contained scowl as he watched the car disappear into the traffic.

* * *

Izaya sighed as he and Namie conferenced in a corner of the main lobby of the airport. "I'm going to call Shrina again and see about getting the tickets faxed over here." He said as he grabbed a payphone off a nearby wall and started depositing coins. "I can handle this, so you can go fantasize about Seiji or whatever for a few minutes."

Namie resettled her bag on her shoulder as she eyed Izaya critically. "You don't need me for anything?"

Izaya grinned at her as he punched in a few digits and set the phone against his ear. "Not unless there's paperwork. Just be back here in ten, unless you want to stay in Ireland."

Namie glared at him before turning and walking away in search of a bathroom. She glanced at a clock as she passed it by - they'd woken up in that cave yesterday evening, and now it was afternoon on the next day. She'd had exactly zero chances to relieve herself since this unwelcome adventure started, and she was perfectly happy to do so while Izaya handled the technical details.

She stepped out of a stall in the women's restroom a few minutes later feeling considerably more relaxed, and proceeded to wash her hands. It was surprisingly quiet for a public restroom, and it helped to remind her that this was the first time in almost 24 hours that she'd been away from Izaya.

During her normal routine he was annoying enough, but since their apparent kidnapping he'd dialed it up to eleven. Maybe it was boredom or maybe it was stress, but whatever the reason, he was driving her up the wall far more than usual. Childish, controlling, and obnoxious. She glowered at the sink as she reflected that Izaya was nothing at all like her Seiji.

She shut off the tap, looked up into the mirror in front of her, and froze. Was she _smiling?_

It faded quickly, but she still slapped herself for good measure. This trip was getting to her more than she'd thought. She took a deep breath to clear her head and shift her thoughts away from Izaya and back to Seiji. Then she turned and left the restroom, heading back to where Izaya had been before.

He was leaning against the wall and tapping one foot against the floor when she got there. He turned his head to look at her when she arrived. "You took your sweet time." He said.

"And yet you here you are, waiting anyways." Namie said with a knowing smile.

Izaya rolled his eyes. "You were just barely within my time limit." He handed a slip of paper to her as he pushed off the wall. "Here's your ticket. Hang onto it and let's go."

Twenty minutes later, the two of them tracked down their gate and sat down to wait. Namie opened her pack and pulled out a bottle of water, opening it and drinking down a third of its contents before capping it again. "I'll be glad to be home." She said with a dour expression.

Izaya leaned back in his seat. He looked tired; Namie had to admit that she was starting to feel worn out, too. They'd been moving nonstop for almost an entire day. "I'm sure all of Ikebukuro will rejoice to have you back." Izaya snarked, though by now the tiredness visible on his face had crept into his voice.

Good. Maybe he'd shut up now. "And _I'm_ sure everyone will be delighted to have their resident terrorist-slash-information-broker-slash-troll back in town, too." She said as she blinked a little blearily at the sight of the slowly descending sun.

She caught Izaya smiling as he closed his eyes for a bit. "You always have an answer ready for me, Namie. It's pretty impressive, sometimes."

Namie smirked, though she knew he couldn't see it. "It's not all that hard to keep up with you."

"There it is again. If you weren't so despicable and single-minded about things, I might even like you." He said.

This wasn't getting her anywhere. She needed to stop giving him ammo. She forced herself not to reply as she settled in to wait, forcing herself not to fall asleep.

Mercifully, the wait wasn't very long, and soon they were called to board their plane. She nudged Izaya to rouse him from what looked like the beginnings of a good dream as she stood up. "Wake up." She snapped.

His eyes opened quickly. "Who said I was sleeping?" He said as his usual grin returned. He rose to his feet a moment later and stretched. "Let's get going, assistant." He said, stepping past her to lead the way.

They filed into the plane in silence with the rest of the passengers. She wasn't even surprised when they ended up sitting next to each other; no doubt Izaya had managed to engineer that to annoy her as well. She simply took a deep breath as she leaned back in a much more comfortable seat than before and reflected that now, she might actually be able to get some sleep.

She listened silently to the engines powering up as the plane began to taxi, and a few minutes later, the plane was in the air and ascending steadily. She breathed a sigh of relief as she mentally bade goodbye to her temporary prison.

She was about to settle in to try and get some sleep for herself when Izaya's voice got her attention. For once, it didn't have that annoying superior note to it that it often had. "Hey, Namie?"

She blinked and turned her head to face him. "Hm?"

He was staring out the window as the plane ascended above the clouds. He didn't say anything for a long minute, and she almost began to wonder if she'd simply imagined his voice. She was about to turn away and dismiss it as such when he spoke again. "I was afraid."

Namie didn't quite understand what he was talking about. It didn't help that she was tired. "What are you talking about?" She said wearily.

She saw him smile faintly. It was a little like the grin he often wore, but it was bitter, like it tended to get when he talked about Shinra or Shizuo. "Back when we first woke up in Ireland. I didn't know what was going on and I didn't have any control over the situation. It frightened me." He explained.

Namie frowned at him. "Well, yeah. I told you as much back then, didn't I? You denied it at the time." She smiled slightly with confusion as she tried to parse his meaning. "What's this all about?"

Izaya briefly glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. He quickly redirected it back to the view out the window. "Arguing with you - about stupid shit like Seiji, or where to go, or whose fault it was - it helped to keep me calm. It was familiar when I was dealing with something unfamiliar." He sighed and shut the window before leaning back and closing his eyes with that same grin plastered on his face. "I guess what I'm saying is, thanks."

Namie's smile faded as she stared at him. This was not the Izaya she was used to. "You're welcome?" She said uncertainly.

She heard Izaya let out a breath that might've been laughter. "Just forget about it."

With that, he went silent, and she couldn't think of what to say. She stared at him until she saw his breathing slow, and she knew then that he'd fallen asleep. She kept watching for a minute, and realized that he really hadn't been sleeping back when they'd been waiting.

Back then he'd still been waiting. He'd looked unaware, but he'd been ready to react the moment she spoke. Now… he looked vulnerable. The smile on his face had faded to be replaced with an almost troubled look. She felt a little bad for him.

Then she set those thoughts aside as she felt another wave of drowsiness roll over her. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. The plane had stopped climbing and was flying steady. It was the perfect time to sleep.

She drifted off thinking about Seiji, and dullahans, and stolen horses - and wondering which version of Izaya Orihara was the real one.

* * *

Namie's dreams were surprisingly pleasant, but they passed by in a blur that left little time for interpretation. It didn't feel like much time had passed when she woke up, but she felt considerably refreshed.

She had to wonder where she'd gotten the pillow from, though. As she opened her eyes, she quickly realized it was not a pillow. As warm and comfy as it had apparently been to her sleeping self, in waking she wanted to be as far from it as possible.

She grunted as she pulled her head up and off of Izaya's shoulder, straightening up and immediately checking to see if he was awake. She felt her heart sink as she realized he was grinning at her with eyes open. "Looks like you slept well." He noted.

She glared at him. "Why didn't you wake me?" She snapped.

Izaya's grin grew a touch wider. "You just looked so comfortable." He said.

She hated the way her cheeks burned as she looked away and huffed an irritated breath. "How long have we been flying?" She asked, eager to change the subject.

Izaya shrugged. "I haven't been keeping track. I only woke up a few minutes before you." He opened the window and peered out at the clouds passing by below them. "We're probably most of the way there." He speculated.

Namie nodded as she felt herself calming down, recovering the neutral state she always gravitated to. "Great." She said with muted enthusiasm. "What are we doing when we get there? Is someone picking us up?"

Izaya's smile faded slightly. "I don't _think_ so…?"

Namie turned to glare at him again. "You don't know? We're just going to be stuck at the airport?" She asked incredulously.

Izaya didn't look too upset about it. "I'm not going to convince Celty to pick us up without a lot of cash ready to go, and I don't think anyone else in Ikebukuro is too keen on seeing us again. We didn't exactly have a lot of options."

"Ugh…" Namie groaned as she closed her eyes and set her face in her hands. "Really, I don't know why I had to be kidnapped along with you."

"That reminds me," Izaya said, "We still don't know how that happened in the first place. I still can't remember what happened and we haven't seen any trace of who did this to us." The carefree tone had vanished from his voice, to be replaced by the cooler analytical one he used on rare occasions.

Namie shrugged. "There's plenty of drugs that could interfere with short-term memory. That probably accounts for our faulty recollection." She explained.

Izaya frowned out the window. "I mean, sure, that makes sense, but the rest of this doesn't. Why ship us out to Ireland? That's a lot more expensive than just killing us or locking us up in a warehouse." He looked genuinely perplexed as he turned to her. "I could understand if they took us somewhere far away to get something out of us, but nobody's even tried to stop us from going home so far."

Namie frowned back at him as she considered and found no real answers. "It does seem remarkably elaborate for no obvious payoff." She admitted.

Izaya's brows furrowed as he rubbed at his chin with one hand. "All this has got me worried about what we'll find when we get back to Ikebukuro. Shinra seemed to be doing fine, but…"

Namie flinched as her thoughts immediately went to Seiji. "Everything will be as we left it, or else." She hissed.

Izaya eyed her. "Seiji again?" He sighed.

For once, he didn't seem to be teasing her, and it ended up making her curious instead of upset. "You've been nagging me about Seiji since we first ended up in Ireland. What gives?" She asked him.

Izaya stared at her for several moments as he apparently thought it over before replying. "I don't know. I guess it's just, back in Ikebukuro I could kind of understand you obsessing over him - you didn't have much to do otherwise. But we've been in a potentially life-threatening situation for the last day or so and you're still thinking about him?"

She tilted her head to one side as she gave him a bemused smirk. The look he was giving her… "Don't tell me you're disappointed?" She said. "Were you hoping I'd be worrying about you?" She said, ready to laugh at the thought.

Izaya kept on frowning. "I was hoping you'd be worrying about yourself." He said.

Her smile faded. "But I was worrying about myself." She said. She'd gotten out of there unscathed, hadn't she?

One corner of Izaya's lips flickered upwards. "Are you sure about that? If you remember, I practically had to drag you through most of Ireland." He started listing things off on his fingers. "Who got up and led us out of the cave? Who spotted the Dullahan first? Who called home for help? Who stole a horse to get us home faster, and which of us was the one to eventually get us to the airport?"

Namie opened her mouth to reply, then closed it when she realized she didn't have a good answer. Izaya _had_ been doing most of the work since they'd first become lost. It was a little disconcerting to realize it. She looked away from him as she brooded. "You may have a point." She admitted.

"I'm starting to think you'd have never gotten out of Ireland if you'd woken up in that cave alone." Izaya mused.

"No, I would've…" She protested, but it lacked conviction. She sat back in her seat and stared at the one in front of her as she mulled it all over.

Izaya seemed satisfied, and quieted down. Namie's frown grew deeper as she considered the problem. Had she really been so distracted by Seiji? The whole trip across Ireland mostly seemed to her to be a blur of arguments with Izaya and worries about her brother.

She hated to admit it, but her obsession was starting to frighten her.

* * *

Izaya was back to his usual self when they landed and disembarked. "Ahhh, it's great to be back in Tokyo." He said with a grandiose tone to his voice as he took in the skyline in the distance. "I can finally get back to business." He said. He almost sounded like he was returning home to a lost love.

Namie frowned as she looked out at the metropolis, standing beside Izaya. She'd set aside her brooding for now, but she still felt considerably more sober than she had when they'd first taken flight. "Great. Now we need to actually get into the city." She said.

Izaya grinned at her. "That's true." He admitted, as the two of them watched cars coming and going, picking up and dropping off travelers. "It's a shame we don't have any money, or this problem would be solved already."

"Come on. Let's get off the concourse." She said, turning and starting to follow the sidewalk out of the pickup area.

Izaya blinked at her for a moment before following her. "Do you have an idea in mind?" He said. She could hear the smile in his voice as she led the way for once.

"A few." She said as she surveyed the area around them. She glanced back at him over her shoulder. "Do you know how to hotwire a car?"

Izaya's eyes widened, and the grin she'd predicted grew wider as he caught up to her. "I'm a bit out of practice, but I'd be willing to give it a shot. It sounds a lot more fun than hitchhiking again."

"Good." Namie said flatly as she led them into the nearest parking lot. "Let's look for something easy."

The two of them strolled through the parking lot, eyeing up cars and avoiding passers-by. She wasn't personally familiar with the process of carjacking; and so she left the job of scouting to Izaya, whose eyes were narrowed in thought as he scoured the surrounding vehicles. Namie settled for putting together a mental map of the area and where they'd need to go to get home.

Izaya still hadn't said anything when Namie found herself distracted by something familiar. A little black sedan was parked at the end of a row of cars, slightly displaced from the others. Her steps quickened as she moved away from Izaya's side to get a closer look.

"Namie?" He said curiously as he realized she'd hurried off, turning to follow her.

She almost couldn't believe it. But as she looked it over, and glanced at the license plate, she couldn't deny the truth of it. "This is my car." She said.

Izaya's steps slowed as he drew nearer. "Excuse me?" He said, disbelief evident in his tone.

She scowled as she grabbed a ticket off the windshield and crumpled it up in her fingers before pocketing it. "Someone left my car here. Why did someone leave my car here?" She asked of nobody in particular. She checked the door. It was unlocked, and it swung open with ease.

Izaya scratched his head as he peered into the interior with her. It looked untouched. "I… don't know." He admitted. "Maybe they drove us here in it? Why would they use your car, though? And why wouldn't they take it with them once they were done?"

"It doesn't make any sense." Namie mumbled as she set one hand on the roof and stared at it. "I don't have my keys." She said, before a thought occurred to her. Nothing else so far had made sense; maybe the coincidences would just keep happening. She slid into the driver's seat and began rifling through everything she could reach.

Izaya stared after her. "Are you serious…?" He said as she pulled something out of the glove compartment.

The key glinted in the early afternoon sunlight as she held it between two fingers. "This is getting weird." She said with a frown.

Izaya was in the seat next to her before she could protest. "Well, I'm not complaining." He said, his grin back in full force.

She turned to look at him, still having a hard time processing all of this. "This doesn't upset you? I feel like we're being set up. What if there's a bomb in the car?" She asked.

Izaya eyed her, his smile staying steady. "I think it's a bit late to ask that." He said. "Why don't we get out of here?"

Namie stared at the key in her hand for several seconds more before turning the car on. The engine rumbled to life without any issue. She took a deep breath as she glanced over her shoulder at the space behind the car.

Normally, at a time like this, she'd comfort herself with thoughts of Seiji. At the moment, however, those thoughts just made her more anxious. She clutched at the wheel as she turned her attention back to Izaya, who was giving her a critical look. "Are you going to be okay?" He said.

The expectant look in his eyes seemed to galvanize her. She wasn't going to break down in front of Izaya Orihara. She was stronger than that. "I'll be fine." She said, schooling her worries into the back of her mind before carefully pulling out of the parking space and beginning to steer her way out of the parking lot.

Izaya lounged casually in his seat as they pulled out onto the road with no incident. "See? Nothing to worry about. We can figure out the details once we're back home." He said. She briefly caught an approving look from him. She wasn't sure how to feel about it.

"Nothing to worry about _for now_." She retorted as she merged onto the freeway and started heading for Ikebukuro.

"For now." Izaya admitted, though he never once stopped smiling.

As they drew closer and closer to home, Namie bit back worries about what would be waiting for them there.

* * *

It was nearing evening when they pulled up in front of the building where Izaya's offices were located, and where both he and his assistant lived most of the time. It looked about the same as ever, and Izaya was getting out of the car almost before it had come to a full stop. Namie turned off the engine and pocketed the keys before getting out as well.

They were really back in Ikebukuro. It had been maybe a day and a half since this adventure started, but it felt like she'd been away for a lifetime. She reveled in it for a moment before following Izaya into the building and hoping for the best.

Izaya leaned on the front desk as he called to the man on duty there. "Hey."

The man adjusted his spectacles before turning in his seat to face him. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. I live here, but I lost my keys. Are you able to give me a new set?" Izaya replied.

The man frowned before turning to his computer. "Your name?"

"Izaya Orihara." Izaya replied. The man typed on the keyboard for a second before turning to Izaya.

"Do you have ID?" He said.

Izaya grimaced. "No. I lost that too."

The man sighed before shaking his head. "It's just as well. Your lease ran out a week ago. You don't actually own anything in this building anymore."

Izaya blinked as he stared at the man. "My lease ran out?"

The man nodded seriously. "Yeah. Says here we gave you a couple opportunities to pay it and you never did. We revoked it last week, and you apparently had nothing to say about it."

Izaya shivered. Namie wondered what was going through his head at that moment. "What did you do with the things I had in my office and my apartment?" He said, audibly forcing himself to keep his voice steady.

"I'm pretty sure they were impounded. You'd have to take it up with the building superintendent." The man said, turning to his computer. "You'll need ID, though."

Izaya pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers and closed his eyes. "And there's nothing you can do." He said.

"I'm afraid not, sir." The man said. "You'll just have to renew your ID at a government office and come back. Your things will be waiting for you until then." He explained.

Izaya turned to Namie as he stepped away from the desk. "I don't suppose you missed a set of keys or an ID when you were checking your pockets the first time?" He said quietly.

She shook her head. "Of course not. They took everything, same as you."

"This… complicates things." Izaya said. "Let's go back to the car."

The man at the desk watched them go until the doors shut behind them. Izaya got in first, followed by Namie taking the driver's seat. She frowned as she took in the expression on his face. She hadn't really seen him look defeated before. "We'll just have to renew your ID." She said.

He turned to her with a frown that mirrored her own. "Yeah, but what about you? If you go to a city office and identify yourself, you're not going to fare so well." He said.

Namie felt her face grow a little pale as she considered that. Her employment with Izaya had been the main thing keeping her safe from the police. She was perhaps in an even greater bind than he. "We should still renew _your_ ID, at least." She said after a minute.

Izaya sighed. "We'll do that eventually. I don't really care that much about the shit I had kicking around the office, except maybe Celty's head. God only knows what the guys who had to clean that place out did with it. But based on the reaction by the guy at the desk, there hasn't been too much fuss."

Namie stared out at the darkening streets ahead of her as she considered. "We need a plan of action. We're on borrowed time, here."

Izaya eyed her. "Well, you're the driver, for better or worse." He paused for a moment before adding, "If it's still nagging at you, we could visit Seiji's place."

Namie considered it. Part of her still badly wanted to see Seiji - to know he was safe, to hold him, to have his attention, even if just for a little while. But another part of her was growing increasingly wary of that attachment. She was surprised at how much it changed her view of things. "Not yet." She said.

Izaya raised an eyebrow at her. She carefully avoided meeting his eyes. "Well… We could always ask Shinra for help. Again." He said. He didn't sound enthusiastic about it.

"How are you going to pay him back for the plane tickets?" She asked him.

Izaya scowled. "I don't know. Things are a lot shakier for me now than I'm used to."

Namie found herself smiling wistfully as she stared at the wheel in front of her. "And here I almost used to think you were infallible."

She heard Izaya laugh softly. The mood in the car lightened a bit at the sound, and she turned to look at him again as he replied, "Now _that_ is the worst lie you've ever told me."

She let herself smile at him for a moment before turning back to the wheel and starting the car again. "So. Shinra's place?" She said.

"It's a worth a shot." Izaya said.

The engine purred as Namie pulled out into the street again. She felt a little better now that they were in motion again. "Agreed."

* * *

It was fully dark out when they reached Shinra's apartment building. Namie parked in the first spot she could find and hurried inside with Izaya in tow. Nobody was at the front desk when they went in, and she was thankful for that as they got into the elevator undisturbed. Izaya punched a button, and the doors closed as they began to ascend.

"Well, this is going to be uncomfortable." Izaya said.

"Don't worry. Everything is uncomfortable with you around." Namie replied.

"You always know how to make me feel better." Izaya said, smirking as the doors opened to admit them into the hallway on Shinra's floor. The two of them strolled to the end of the hall, and Izaya knocked on the door there.

Most of a minute passed before they heard footsteps on the other side. The door opened, and Shinra peeked out through the opening, his hair a mess. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the two of them. "Izaya? Namie?" He said, confused.

"May we come in?" Namie asked as politely as she could.

Shinra frowned. "I don't know. You two tend to be trouble for me. Are you hurt, or something?"

Izaya shook his head. "Not hurt, but we're in a bad spot. We don't have anywhere else to go right now." He fixed Shinra with a serious look. "You're pretty much our only option here."

Shinra blinked several times before sighing. "Okay, fine. Come in." He said before opening the door wider to admit them. Namie led the way, with Izaya following a moment later, and Shinra shut the door behind them as they filed into the living room. Shinra crossed his arms over his chest as he eyed them warily. "Tell me what this is about."

Izaya glanced at Namie. "Do you…?" He trailed off, pointing vaguely at her.

Namie flashed a glare at him before turning to Shinra. "As you might know, we were kidnapped and taken to Ireland."

Shinra nodded. "Yeah, I heard about as much from Izaya the two times he called me. What's the issue now, though?"

Namie stared at the floor as she continued. "We came back to discover that they've taken basically everything from us. We don't have ID, money, our phones, keys, or anything else like that. We were lucky just to get my car back. And apparently, Izaya's rent on his apartment and office ran out." She sighed as she admitted, "We have nowhere to go."

Shinra looked back and forth between the two of them as he processed that. Before he could say anything, a tall dark figure strode into the room from one of the adjacent bedrooms. Black wisps of smoke trailed from the stump of her neck as she froze in the middle of the room, before taking a few steps closer and holding up a phone with something typed on the screen.

 _What's going on?_ Namie read off of it. "Izaya and his assistant showed up a minute ago saying they've been robbed of, well… everything they own, I guess." Shinra explained.

The headless dullahan typed out a few more lines on her phone before presenting it to them again. _Are you planning to help them?_

Shinra frowned as he looked back and forth between the various people standing in front of him once again. "I don't know. You guys seem to be in the middle of some _really_ strange stuff right now. I don't know if I want to risk Celty getting hurt by it." He said, glancing at the dark fae girl beside him.

Both she and Shinra turned and seemed to regard Namie and Izaya expectantly. "Please?" Namie said.

Izaya surprised her as he bowed his head to Shinra. "I know I already owe you here, but I promise I will do my best not to let this situation splash into your life. I can't _do_ anything about it if I'm out on the streets, though."

Shinra still looked skeptical. Celty typed something else on her phone. _Can it really hurt?_ They all read.

"Celty…" Shinra said, as if to protest.

 _I doubt they'll be staying long,_ was Celty's reply.

Shinra groaned. "Fine. You can use the guest room for tonight. If this comes back to bite me in the ass, or hurt Celty, I'm going to make you regret it. Got it, Izaya?" He said, fixing the young man in question with an intense glare.

Izaya grinned and nodded. "I read you loud and clear, old friend." He said. "Mind if we borrow a computer for now, though?"

Shinra waved a hand dismissively as he started heading back towards his bedroom, taking Celty's hand in his as he went. "Whatever. Just don't make a mess." He said grouchily. The door slammed shut behind him a second later, leaving Izaya and Namie alone in the living room.

Namie turned to Izaya with a quizzical expression on her face. "What are you going to use the computer for?"

"To check our bank accounts." Izaya said as he headed over to one of the monitors Shinra had strewn about his home. It lit up as he pressed a button, and his fingers rattled away at the keyboard a moment later.

Namie strolled up behind him to peer over his shoulder as he worked. "Not a bad idea." She admitted as she watched.

Eventually, he reached his bank's website. "Look away." He commanded her.

"Or what?" She said.

"Or you won't be getting that bonus I promised you." He retorted.

Namie smiled to herself as she averted her eyes. "Fine."

The keys rattled under Izaya's fingertips once more before he swore under his breath. Namie turned back to look at the screen. "I can't believe how thorough these guys were." He said.

Namie shook her head. "They took all the money in your account?" She asked.

"Every cent." He said as he signed himself out. "This is unbelievable."

"Let me check mine." She said, nudging his shoulder to urge him out of the chair. He stood up reluctantly a moment later, and she sat down and went through the same rhythm he had a minute ago.

The balance she returned a minute later was not zero, but still she frowned. "This is way less than I remember having last time I checked." She said.

Izaya sighed from behind her. "It's better than nothing. Though, then again, maybe not, without a bank card."

Namie brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face before she closed the page and turned around in her seat to face Izaya. "So we're stuck. Again."

Izaya smirked, though it was faint. "We're not _totally_ out of options. We'll renew my ID soon, and in the meantime we can try to investigate this bizarre situation. Maybe once we figure out who did this, we can start recuperating our losses." His smile grew just a bit more certain. "And at least we're not sleeping in the car tonight."

Namie flinched as a thought occurred to her. "We have to share a room, don't we?" She said, her face falling as she considered the prospect.

"There's always the couch." Izaya said with a hint of mocking in his tone as he gestured to it. She had a feeling he wasn't offering to use it himself.

She seriously considered it. Then she stood up and headed for the guest bedroom. "Screw it."

Izaya followed her, shutting the door behind them afterwards. Namie took off her shoes before gracelessly flinging herself onto the bed with a sigh of relief. Izaya sat down on the other side of the bed as he watched her with an amused look. "Comfortable?" He asked.

She turned her head slightly to give him a flat look. "About as comfortable as I can be with you here." She said.

"I'll choose to take that as a compliment." Izaya said, before hauling himself the rest of the way onto the bed and turning to face her, crossing his legs as he eyed her up and down. "That does bring to mind a question I've been meaning to ask, though."

Namie narrowed her eyes at him as he got comfortable. "And what question is that?"

"Why are you still following me around?" He asked.

She blinked several times. "What do you mean?"

"You have a car now, and the only set of keys to it. You're back in Ikebukuro, and I don't exactly have the means to protect or employ you anymore. You do realize you could've left me the moment you got back here, right?" He said, smiling innocently.

Namie felt a little cold. She could've ditched him at any time. She almost cursed herself for her short-sightedness. "...I'll admit, that was a small oversight on my part. But why bring it up? I really _could_ leave you whenever I want. You're doing yourself a disservice by mentioning it." She said, sitting up as she eyed him critically.

Izaya's smile was unwavering. "I guess I'm helpless to my own curiosity. As far as I know, Namie, you hate me. So I can't really understand why you're still here." He said.

Namie's eyes left his as she considered the question. It was a valid one, really. Up until now she was fairly certain she'd have given anything to be away from him. Why was she still here? Eventually, she came to an answer, though it didn't seem complete. "I don't _hate_ you." She said. "I just find you intensely annoying on a frequent basis." She explained.

Izaya's smile grew, and after a moment he started laughing. Namie's frown quickly turned into a glare as he cackled to himself for most of a minute before calming down. "Coming from you, that's monumental." He said eventually.

She gave him an unamused look, before grabbing and tossing a pillow at him. "To hell with you, Izaya Orihara."

Izaya chuckled again as it bounced off him. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not going there for a long time."


	3. Paper Trail

Namie wasn't sure when she'd fallen asleep again, but when she woke up, the clock on the wall told her it was ten in the morning. She pulled the covers down as she sat up and blinked the sleep from her eyes. Sleeping in a real bed was so much better than an airplane.

She looked around a moment later to realize that she was alone in the bedroom, with Izaya nowhere to be seen. For a moment she felt a little stab of fear as she considered that he might've decided to run off. It faded when she realized his shoes were still where he'd left them last night, and she chided herself for her reaction as she dragged herself out of the bed.

Feeling refreshed, if a little uncertain about what was to come next, she headed out the door and into the living room. It was empty save for Izaya, who was at the computer again, his attention glued to the screen. Namie's footsteps were quiet as she crossed the floor to him, and she glanced over his shoulder at the screen before prodding his shoulder with one finger. "Hey."

She saw Izaya try to conceal a jolt of surprise, and she felt a smirk coming on by the time he turned to look at her. "Oh, hey Namie." He said. "How'd you sleep? You went out like a light last night." He observed as he turned back to the computer and started typing something.

"Just fine." She said as she turned her attention to the computer monitor again. It looked like Izaya was paying a visit to that chatroom he so loved to troll. "What are you doing?" She asked him, though she could partly guess the answer already.

"Finding out what's new in Ikebukuro." Izaya said with a satisfied tone to his voice. "We were off the radar for a week, if you remember. Or rather, if you _don't_ remember." He added with a grin as he continued to type out rapid-fire responses.

"Anything interesting?" She said as she leaned on the back of his chair. She didn't care as much about online rumors as he did, but she supposed now was probably one of the few times it'd really matter to her.

"Surprisingly little." Izaya replied. "Apparently Ikebukuro had a downright peaceful week in my absence. I'm a little hurt." He said, glowering at the screen for a moment. "One thing did pique my interest, however."

"And what is that?" Namie asked, turning her attention to Izaya again and watching him intently.

Izaya turned around in his seat to face her, wearing a serious expression. "Your brother disappeared about ten days ago."

Namie froze. She blinked several times before tilting her head to one side as she stared at Izaya. "You're joking, right?" She said, the humor she'd had in her voice earlier now gone. "That's not a funny joke."

Izaya shook his head as he matched her stare without wavering. "It's not a joke. Apparently both Seiji and his girlfriend vanished without so much as saying a goodbye to anyone." He said. "Not sure whether it's related to our case, but I thought you might want to know."

Namie shook once, then stepped back and away from Izaya until she could lean against the couch and stare into space. Was Seiji hurt? Had he been kidnapped? What if he was dead? She clutched at the couch behind her as she tried to contain her anger and worry. "We have to find him." She said coldly.

"Do we?" Izaya said. "Maybe he's just taking a vacation."

Namie glared hard at him. She was starting to remember why she'd hated him before. "This isn't the time to joke around." She warned him.

Izaya didn't seem perturbed. "I'm still not joking. There were no signs of foul play and they took some of their stuff with them. It's a little weird, but it really does look like they decided to just leave Ikebukuro out of the blue one day."

Izaya's stare was just as intense as hers, and eventually she looked away. "We should've gone to his apartment last night…" She said. No matter what Izaya told her, she couldn't help worrying. Even if she knew it was probably going to hurt her…

She heard Izaya sigh as he stood up. "Look, we can check out his place today. But first, we should stop by my old office building again." He said.

She turned to look at him again, giving him an unamused stare. "Why?" She said.

Izaya produced a key from his pocket. "Well, I went out and got my ID renewed while you were asleep." He said, before pulling a small, laminated card from another pocket.

She was more interested in the key. "Did you take my car?" She asked.

Izaya grinned at her. "I had to get there somehow."

She took a quick step forward and snatched the key out of his hand. Izaya's amusement was easy to read as he let her take it. "Unbelievable." She said, shaking her head at him. "Do you even drive?" She snapped at him, before another thought occurred to her. "And, and… you'd have had to rifle through my pockets while I was sleeping to get this key…" She said, staring at him aghast.

"Details, details." Izaya said dismissively as he turned away from her. "Focus on the important things. I've got proof of my identity now, so we can get our stuff back from the office."

Namie stormed up behind him and grabbed his shoulder to turn him halfway towards her so she could look him in the eyes. "You invading my privacy and stealing my car _are_ important things!"

Izaya chuckled at the frustration in her tone. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry for stealing your keys and your car and invading your precious privacy." He said. "I know you're saving it for Seiji."

Namie hissed in irritation as she took in his insincere apology. "Don't do it again." She said, before turning and stalking back towards the bedroom. "Let's just get our shoes and get out of here before I have to kill you." She said without looking at him.

Just when she was starting to think he wasn't all bad…

* * *

A short drive later, they were back at Izaya's old office. Izaya was out of the car in a flash and hurrying for the doors, leaving Namie to trail disinterestedly behind him. She didn't care about the crap she'd left at his place. She wanted to know Seiji was safe. She debated just getting back into the car and leaving, but… she wasn't _quite_ ready to do that to Izaya. Not quite.

Izaya was at the front desk when she stepped inside, talking animatedly to the man behind the desk. He passed his ID to the man, who looked it over for a moment before checking something on his computer. "Well, alright." The man said, before passing the card back to Izaya, who looked immensely pleased.

The man stood up and turned towards a door behind him. "I'll go get it." He said.

Izaya blinked. "It? Are you sure you won't need our help getting all of the stuff we'd had in our old place?" He asked.

The man stared at Izaya for several seconds with an uncomfortable expression on his face. "Uhhh…" He said. "I'll be fine. Just wait here a sec." He said, before disappearing into a back room.

Izaya turned to Namie as she approached the desk. "Now I'm worried again." He reported.

"You didn't need any of that junk anyways." Namie said as she leaned against the desk to wait.

Izaya scowled at the wall as they waited, and eventually the man returned with a modestly-sized black box carried in two hands. He set it on the desk before nodding at it. "There you go." He said.

Izaya stared at the box. "This is it?" He said.

The man nodded once more. "That's all we found in your old place. Sorry we couldn't be of more help." He said with an apologetic smile.

Izaya frowned at the black box for several moments more before replying, "Thanks." in a decidedly disheartened voice. The man seemed satisfied and sat down in front of his computer again.

Namie tried to open the box and found it locked. "Do you have a key?" She asked of Izaya.

Izaya shook his head. "No. This thing has a trick to it." He said, reaching around the sides of the box and searching for something with his fingers. Eventually, Namie heard a click, and Izaya grinned as the seal on the lid of the box broke. He opened it to reveal a mess of black fabric and fur.

Namie blinked as she saw it. "Really?" She said, a little annoyed.

Izaya, by contrast, was ecstatic. "My coat!" He said, grabbing it out of the box and quickly putting the familiar garment on. "I'd been wondering where this thing went. It's like a part of me." He explained.

Namie gave him an unamused look. "I'm so glad you could get it back." She said sarcastically.

Izaya frowned for a moment as he settled into the coat. He glanced at Namie once before reaching into one of the pockets and producing a white phone. "Huh." He said as he eyed it. "This isn't mine."

Namie stared at it with him. "No, it's mine." She said.

Izaya gave her a look. "Really? It's a bit cute for your standards." He said, bouncing the little phone in his hand.

Namie sighed. "Just give it to me." She snapped.

Izaya smirked as he handed it to her. She unlocked it and began taking stock of what she could find. "So?" Izaya said expectantly.

"It's mostly intact." She said. "A few things have been rearranged but it's pretty much the same as I left it." She paused for a moment as she realized she had a new text message, before her eyes widened as she opened it. "I got a message from your phone a week ago." She said, glancing up at him.

"Seriously?" Izaya said, hurrying to stand beside her so he could peer at the screen too. "What does it say?"

The two of them both read the message over in their heads. It looked a bit like prose, or a short story.

 _There was once a handsome young prince who lived with his loving caretaker. One day, the young prince fell in love with a beautiful fairy. Though the caretaker did her best to keep this distraction away from him, the young prince's love consumed his life, until he met a young seer who promised she could mimic the fairy perfectly. Dejected, he accepted the offer. Little did he realize that now, the beautiful fairy waited for him in his castle._

The two of them both finished reading at about the same time, and Izaya turned to Namie first. "Is this a riddle?" He said.

"It certainly looks like it." Namie said. "And an obvious one, too." She said as her thoughts began to drift elsewhere.

Izaya frowned as he watched the change in her expression. "I guess we know where we're going next." He said.

Namie nodded slowly as she stared at her phone, before glancing at Izaya. "I need to make a call in the car. Wait outside for me, will you?" She said.

Izaya gave her a concerned look. "You sure you wanna do this?" He asked.

Namie frowned at him before walking past him. "You know the answer to that question." She said as she headed for her car. Izaya didn't protest as she stepped out the front doors of the building and got into her car a moment later, bringing up her phone's contact list and dialing Seiji's number. She held it to her ear as it began to ring. _Please answer…_

Someone picked up on the fourth ring. "Hey, sis." Namie felt a rush of relief so strong she wanted to melt into her seat. It was Seiji's voice. She'd recognize that beautiful monotone anywhere.

"Seiji! Where have you gone?" She asked him urgently.

Seiji was quiet for a second before he responded. "You know, when you didn't try to call me again for a week, I was kind of hoping you'd decided to stop trying." He said.

Namie frowned. "What are you talking about?"

She heard Seiji sigh from the other end of the line. "I'll make it simple. Mika convinced me to go somewhere far away with her. It's sort of an experiment. I can't tell you where I am."

What was he talking about? Why was he being so secretive? Namie's chest felt tight as a pleading note entered her voice. "But Ikebukuro is your home… I'm here." She said.

"I'm not coming back to Ikebukuro, sis. And you should probably work on accepting that." He said.

What was that scolding note to his voice? She wondered. She hated it, but she knew what would appeal to him most. She'd do anything to get him back. "Celty is still here. You won't ever see her again if you don't come back." She warned him. It left a bad taste in her mouth, even bringing it up.

"Yeah, I know. That's the point." Seiji replied.

Namie blinked. That was the opposite of the answer she'd expected. "What?"

"Mika wants to see if I'll lose interest in Celty with some time away. It took a lot of persuasion from her, but I think I can see where she's coming from, now. I'm not going back to Ikebukuro." He said firmly.

Namie laughed bitterly in pure reaction. Seiji, getting over Celty? He'd been obsessing over her for half his life with no sign of stopping. That stupid head had been her only leverage on Seiji's life, too… "You love Celty. You're not going to just forget her." She protested.

Seiji was quiet for another while before replying. "Maybe I won't. I'll admit, I'm far from over her. Maybe I never will be, entirely. But I'm starting to think Mika has a point. The kind of love I have for Celty isn't the kind that can be reciprocated."

Namie didn't know what to say. "But… but…" She stammered as she tried to understand the words coming out of Seiji's mouth.

"And… while we're on this topic, sis, I think it'd be a good idea if you didn't call me again. I left Ikebukuro as much for your sake as for mine." He said.

Namie shivered. She felt her eyes starting to well up as she replied, "Seiji…"

"You've got to stop thinking about me sooner or later." Seiji said.

Namie shook her head frantically, even if he couldn't see it. "I can't, Seiji. I can't do that." Her voice was getting hoarse and her throat hurt.

Seiji sighed again. "You can't while you're still on the phone talking to me. But once this conversation is over…" He trailed off meaningfully.

"Seiji, please. Don't go." Namie begged him. "Tell me where you are. I'll come to you."

"I'm sorry, sis. Maybe we'll see each other again when we're both better people." Seiji said. "Good luck." With that, the line went dead.

"Seiji!" Namie shouted into her phone. She could feel hot tears spilling over her cheeks now as she processed what had just happened. She dialed his number again and got no answer. Then she tossed her phone into the back seat and put her head in her hands as she cried.

A minute passed. Eventually, she heard the passenger-side door open and felt the car shift underneath her as Izaya sat down next to her. The door slammed shut a moment later. Namie didn't bother trying to hide her tears or her shaking. Whatever horrible things he could say to her now wouldn't even come close to the pain Seiji had just inflicted on her.

She felt a warm hand settle on her shoulder. It squeezed once as Izaya said, "Deep breaths, Namie. Breathe."

She shivered again, but she was too far gone to read into it right then. She settled for obeying that simple instruction, and focused on her breathing. Slowly, her shaky, unsteady breathing smoothed out into a series of calm, deep breaths. She felt her tears starting to dry, though she was still far from happy. She leaned her head on the wheel as she felt a headache coming on.

"I take it things didn't go well?" Izaya said.

"What do you think?" Namie said bitterly. She wasn't sure why she was angry at him. For once, he didn't deserve it. It was hard for her not to hate everything right now.

"I guess Seiji's not coming back, then." Izaya replied.

Namie shook her head slightly. "No." She laughed humorlessly as she recalled their conversation. "He's trying to get over Celty. He chided me to try doing the same with him. Seiji, of all people, trying to counsel me on obsessive behavior. Can you believe it?"

"It makes sense to me. Better someone who's dealt with it than someone who hasn't. _I_ sure couldn't tell you how to get better." Izaya admitted.

It was calming to talk like this, Namie realized. She slowly pulled herself back to sit up as she glanced at Izaya for the first time since he'd gotten into the car again. "That sure doesn't stop you from trying, though."

Izaya shrugged with a smile. "What can I say? I'm not easily deterred." He said.

Something in his smile put her back on track, and she closed her eyes as she took a few more deep breaths and organized her thoughts. Seiji was gone, and he wasn't coming back. That hurt, but she could deal with pain. Even this pain. They still had things to do. Solving this mystery would be an adequate distraction.

She just didn't like where their clue seemed to be taking them. "So the text message seems to be directing us someplace." She observed, changing the subject as she opened her eyes to look at Izaya once more.

She thought she heard a note of approval in Izaya's voice as he replied, smiling all the while. "Yeah. The prince's castle." He said.

She nodded slowly as she looked out the windshield, grabbed her keys, and started the car. "Right, then. Seiji's place." She said quietly. She caught a brief nod from Izaya as the car pulled away from the curb and headed out into Ikebukuro.

* * *

Seiji's apartment complex was quiet when they arrived. "Not sure how we're gonna get into his apartment, but I guess we'll figure it out as we go." Izaya said as they pulled up to the curb.

Namie ignored him as she got out of the car and hurried inside. Izaya hurried to follow her, shutting the car door behind him. They were in front of the door to his apartment two minutes later. She didn't wait for Izaya before she grabbed the handle and turned it. She didn't bother to wonder why it was unlocked as it swung open.

She half-expected to see Seiji inside, waiting for her with his calm, cool demeanor. She wanted to hear his voice again, to embrace him, anything. But as she stepped into the living room, she realized the apartment was quite empty. His scent was still on everything there, though. It was fading with his absence, but it sent a shiver up her spine nonetheless.

She could get lost in that place. She might've if Izaya had not come in a moment later and shut the door behind him. "I'm pretty sure it's not a coincidence that it was unlocked." He said as he strolled into the living room beside her. "Something smells fishy."

"Smells divine to me." Namie said dreamily as she took in the room around her.

Izaya gave her a confused look before elbowing her in the side. "Namie, snap out of it."

Namie's eyes fluttered once as she felt the impact. Her thoughts swirled for a moment before she started to realize what she was doing. Seiji was gone. This wasn't his apartment anymore. And she wasn't doing herself any favors by obsessing over the little traces of his passing. "Right. Sorry, Izaya…" She said quietly.

"I get that you're going through something right now, but you need to try to keep it together." Izaya chided her as he turned to begin exploring the room.

She watched him for a minute as he worked. His fur coat made him look less skinny and more mysterious. It was probably why he favored it. It reminded her a little of Izaya himself - a devilish, dangerous mystery surrounding a childish, scared little boy. Sometimes, though, the two seemed to merge into something else. That was the Izaya that tended to catch her eye.

Izaya turned to raise an eyebrow at her as he realized she was staring. She gave him an apologetic smile before heading into the bedroom to start checking there. It wouldn't do to get lost thinking about Seiji _or_ Izaya.

It didn't take her long to find something. She opened the closet to find a beautiful young woman's head floating eerily still in a greenish jar. It was sitting on what looked like a piece of paper with letters typed out on it. Namie grimaced as she stared at it, before turning towards the open bedroom door. "Izaya! I found something." She called.

Izaya entered the bedroom a moment later, giving her a curious look before standing next to her and peering into the closet. "Ugh." He said as he caught sight of Celty's head. "Somehow, I'm not at all pleased to see that thing."

"We can't leave it here, though." Namie said with a sigh.

Izaya rubbed at his forehead as he considered their options. "We'll just have to stick it in your trunk until we figure out what to do with it." He said.

"I guess so…" Namie said, unsatisfied.

"What's that under it?" Izaya said as he grabbed the container holding Celty's head and moved it aside.

Namie grabbed the sheet of paper as it was freed. It looked like it had come straight of a computer printer, with small black text typed out across the top of the sheet. "Looks like our next hint." She said with a frown.

"I _hate_ scavenger hunts." Izaya growled as he peered over her shoulder at the text on the sheet.

 _There once was a wily fox who shared a small forest with a great, big hound. Though the forest was big enough for the two of them, the fox and the hound hated each other from the first day they saw one another. The fox delighted in aggravating and outwitting the hound, never once considering that one day, it might need the hound's help._

Izaya was scowling when Namie turned to look at him after reading the note. He snatched the sheet of paper out of her hand and crumpled it up into a ball before tossing it into one corner of the room. "Whoever arranged this is going to rue the day they were born." Izaya snapped.

Namie crossed her arms over her chest as she regarded Izaya evenly. "We still have to address the content of the note, even if it pisses you off."

Izaya huffed a breath before striding to the door of the bedroom, peering back at Namie while halfway through it. "Maybe so. But I want you to know, if Shizuo kills me before we manage to ask him any questions, you better bury me with my stuff."

* * *

It didn't take them long to find Shizuo. He had a presence the size of a city block, which Izaya could pick out in a heartbeat. It was how he was so often able to annoy Ikebukuro's strongest man. He just hoped their bad blood wouldn't be enough to get him killed as they got out of the car and strolled up the sidewalk towards him.

Shizuo's reaction was immediate. His eyes widened behind his shades, and his stride lengthened with purpose as he drew nearer to Izaya. "Izaaayaaaa…" Shizuo said, the anger rising in his voice.

For his part, Izaya did his best to look non-threatening. He slowly paced backwards as he raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, let's take it easy for once, oka-" He began, before Shizuo was suddenly in front of him. The larger blonde grabbed Izaya by the collar of his shirt and hauled him off his feet holding him a foot in the air as he stared him down.

"What the hell are you doing back in Ikebukuro?" Shizuo growled. "I finally had some hope that you'd gotten yourself killed, and now you come back just when things are getting peaceful around here?"

 _Same old Shizuo._ Izaya thought to himself. He grinned at the stronger man holding him up as his legs dangled beneath him. "It's good to see you too, Shizu-chan." He greeted him.

He saw Shizuo's eyebrow twitch, and for a moment he wondered if he'd gone too far already. "Please don't rile him up any further than you already have…" Namie said wearily from behind him.

Shizuo's eyes flickered away from Izaya to the source of the voice. "Huh. Who're you?" He said, tilting his head to one side as he scrutinized her.

Namie crossed her arms over her chest as she stared calmly at Shizuo. "I'm Namie Yagiri, Izaya's assistant. I'd appreciate it if you'd put him down."

Shizuo seemed to consider this for a moment. "You picked a shitty employer." He said, but eventually he put Izaya down. "Now that I think about it, though, I think I recognize you." He said, reaching into one of his back pockets before producing a laminated card and offering it to her. "Is this you?"

Namie accepted the card with a look of curiosity, before her eyes widened as she got a good look at it. "This is my ID card. Where did you find it?" She asked in disbelief.

Shizuo shrugged. "I found it stuffed in a box in the back of my closet. Not sure how it got there. It had a note with it that I was just taking to Tom." He explained.

Izaya blinked at the mention of the note. "Hey, Shizu-chan!" He said with a grin. "Mind if we take a look at that note?"

Shizuo's eyes narrowed as his attention returned to Izaya. "Why the hell should I show it to you? Helping you never does anyone any good." He said.

"C'mon. What's the worst I could do with a lousy sheet of paper?" Izaya said with a sweet smile.

Namie groaned. "Do you have _any_ self control at all?" She asked, glaring at Izaya. "Izaya and I were kidnapped a while ago, and robbed of everything we own. We've been following a series of clues to recover some of our things, and we think that piece of paper you're carrying is one of them." She explained simply.

Shizuo blinked as he turned back to Namie. "Huh. So that's where Izaya went." He levelled another glare at Izaya as he added, "Figures someone would kidnap you." He turned his attention back to Namie once more as he produced the aforementioned slip of paper from another pocket. "I'll give this to you, then, on one condition."

Namie raised an eyebrow at him. "Name it."

Shizuo looked at Izaya once, then at Namie. "You seem to understand this obnoxious little punk better than I do. Keep him in line for me, will you? I'm sick of him making trouble for me and everyone else in Ikebukuro." He said.

Namie smiled as she glanced at Izaya. "I already consider that my job. But for your sake, I'll try to keep him on a leash."

Izaya glared at her. "We'll see about that." He said.

Izaya grunted as Shizuo casually backhanded his shoulder with enough force to make him stumble back a few steps. "Don't be so disrespectful. It's tactless." Shizuo chided him before offering the folded sheet of paper to Namie. "I expect you to keep your word." He said, giving her a pointed look.

"Of course, Shizuo. Izaya won't trouble you again." She said, maintaining her smile as she accepted the paper. Izaya glared sullenly at the two of them.

"I'd offer to help you with your little predicament, but I'd have to kill Izaya first." Shizuo said as he took a step back.

"You've been more than enough help already, thanks." Izaya said sarcastically as he rubbed at his aching shoulder.

Shizuo gave him a flat look from behind his sunglasses before stepping past the smart-mouthed information broker. "Good luck with your search, Namie." He said with a wave of his hand.

The two of them watched him go before Namie unfolded the paper. "You really need to get a verbal filter someday." She warned her troublesome companion.

Izaya rolled his eyes at her. "I do have one. Shizuo just turns it off." He said.

Namie rolled her eyes right back at him before glancing at the note.

 _The hermit and the devil were sometime companions in days of old. They were complete opposites, but while this fascinated the devil, the hermit hardly seemed to care. Though he does not admit it, to this day, the devil still ruminates about the last place where he could call the hermit his peer._

Namie blinked as she read through it. "This one doesn't make sense to me." She admitted.

Izaya read it over once, then another time. It made sense to him, but he didn't like what it was implying. He almost wanted to just ignore it. Whoever had written this was pushing his buttons, and it was upsetting him more than he'd admit out loud. He carefully restrained his anger before turning to Namie. "I know where we need to go." He said.

Namie eyed him skeptically. "Do you?"

Izaya nodded, his eyes going a little distant. "Yeah. I'm not happy about it, though."

* * *

The drive to Raira academy was a bit of a long one, and Izaya stared out the window at the passing traffic as he brooded on what was to come. He thought he could feel some murky stirring in the missing portions of his memory, but that made him more worried than excited at this point. He wasn't sure he wanted to recall what had happened in that lost week.

He was stirred from his thoughts by Namie's voice. "Izaya, can I tell you something?" He glanced at her to find her staring out ahead of her at the road, deliberately avoiding his eyes.

"Huh? Sure." He said, a little disinterested.

"I know this'll sound a little weird, but I need you to pretend you're not… you, for a minute. Because I really don't want Izaya Orihara to be the one I'm telling this to." She said.

Izaya sat up. This was starting to catch his interest. "Hmmm? Okay, then. I'll be quiet and attentive. It'll be like you're talking to a ghost." He said, grinning in anticipation.

He could see the irritation flicker through her features. She was always subtle in her expressions. Trying to figure out what she was thinking at any one moment was one of his favorite pastimes. Right now, though, she was remarkably easy to read. He wondered what was on her mind.

Namie sighed before saying, "I've been slowly processing this since we woke up in Ireland, and especially as we've talked about it. And… I think I'm starting to realize that I'm not really in love with Seiji." She admitted.

Izaya blinked as he watched her. "Huh?" He couldn't help saying it.

He thought she looked a little tired as she continued, "Seiji is… special to me. He was the only person in my life who could give me attention when I was young, and I guess in some ways he really became the only person in the world for me. I admit, even realizing this, I still have some very strange and powerful feelings towards him." She said. "But I'm not in love with him. Not in the way I thought I was."

Izaya watched her for a moment, waiting to see if she had more to say. Eventually, he realized she was waiting for him to respond. "That's… very mature of you, Namie." He said.

She narrowed her eyes at the traffic ahead of her. "I'm not a child." She said.

"No," Izaya admitted, "But you are growing up."

Namie was silent for a moment as she steered the car into another lane. "Maybe so." She eventually replied.

Izaya grinned at her. "That's an important thing you just realized, Namie. Seriously. Be proud of yourself."

She smiled sadly out the windshield. "Maybe I'll get there, someday." She said as she pulled the car to a stop in front of the academy.

Izaya stared out the window at the school building. It was empty with the students on break. He didn't really want to go in there. It seemed like Namie had more to say, anyways, and so he stayed where he was as he watched her.

She stared at the wheel, seemingly lost in thought. "These last few days have been odd for me." She said quietly.

"That's not surprising, considering how far outside our normal routine they've been." Izaya said with a chuckle.

She gave him an amused look before shrugging. "Maybe. I just feel like I woke up in that cave a different person than I am now."

Izaya raised an eyebrow at her. "Maybe you are."

She seemed to consider that for a moment before nodding and opening the driver's-side door. "C'mon. Let's go." She said.

Izaya opened the door on his side and stepped out with only a little hesitation. He hadn't been to Raira academy in awhile. It hadn't even been called Raira academy back when he'd actually been attending school there. It should feel like a sort of homecoming, but it really didn't as Izaya stepped through the gates and towards the main building with Namie in tow.

The school had been rearranged since he'd attended high school there, and it took him awhile to adjust. Finding an unlocked exterior door wasn't hard, but finding the classroom that had once been his senior-year homeroom was considerably more challenging. He spent the better part of an hour scouring the rooms one by one with Namie's help before they found it.

His eye was caught by a glimpse of color on one of the desks in that classroom. It was in the right spot, too. He cautiously entered the empty classroom, and Namie followed him a moment later. "Is this the right place?" She asked him quietly.

"Looks right to me." Izaya said as he strolled forward to the desk he'd picked out. On top of it was a card. He picked it up and realized it was a tarot card - number IX, the Hermit. "Fitting." He said with a wistful smile. "This is where Shinra sat in our last year of high school."

Namie blinked at him. "I'm having a hard time imagining you as a high-schooler." She said.

Izaya turned to smirk at her. "Oh, that's perfectly understandable. I barely attended in my high school years. It's a wonder I passed." He headed over to his old desk to discover another tarot card there, too. Number XV, the Devil. He supposed that fit him, too.

Still - something was nagging at him. His memories, though still foggy, were starting to send little pings of warning through him. This was all too convenient. Who could possibly have known something this specific about his past? He'd kept track of all his former classmates out of habit, and he knew that none of them were connected enough to pull this off.

That left… "Hey. There's something under your desk." Namie said, crouching on the floor as she peered at it.

"Right." Izaya said, shaking off his distraction as he reached under it and fumbled at something cool and sleek taped to the bottom. He peeled off the tape before pulling away a cell phone - his cell phone.

"Yours?" Namie asked.

He nodded.

"Want to check what's inside?" She asked, her tone expectant.

"No." He said.

She tilted her head quizzically at him. "Why not?"

Izaya swallowed uncomfortably. "I don't think I'm going to like what I find."

Namie frowned at him. "If we don't follow the trail, Izaya, we'll be stuck forever."

Izaya closed his eyes and sighed. "You're right." He admitted. He opened his eyes and reluctantly unlocked the phone. Just about everything looked familiar - though things seemed to have been rearranged slightly, like Namie had reported with her own phone. It took him a minute to find what was out of place. "There's a new video recorded." He said.

Namie was beside him in an instant. "The culprit?" She said apprehensively.

Izaya forced a smile as he eyed her. "Yeah. Probably." He said. He opened the video and pressed play.

The black screen disappeared to be replaced with an image of his office. It was obscured immediately by a shadowy figure. "Hey there, Izaya. I'm guessing you're wondering what happened to get you into this big mess. Or maybe you've already figured it out, and you're starting to shit yourself as I speak. If that's the case, then you can just consider this a message for Namie."

Namie was frozen beside him. He wished she wasn't seeing this. "You see, I love humanity. I love to see what people will do when put into the craziest and most dangerous situations possible. But lately, I feel like they've started to grow predictable." As the video continued, it zoomed out to give them a better view of the speaker.

"Eventually I realized there was only one person left that I didn't understand." A face came into view. His face. Izaya Orihara, grinning back at him like the devil he was. "So I decided to ask the question. 'What happens when Izaya Orihara destroys his own life?'"

It was coming back to him faster and faster now. _Shut up._ He thought to himself as he paused the video before turning to Namie. He felt his blood run cold at the fury in her eyes.

"Well," He said, staring helplessly back at her, "Shit."


	4. Glass Heart

Izaya held his demonic smile as he finished the recording. It faded once he pushed a button to end it. He stopped holding his phone out and away from him and stared at the still image of himself on the screen - the preview of his little message to his future self.

He looked like a devil. He certainly wouldn't put his trust in anyone who looked like that. "Is this how everyone sees me?" He wondered aloud, with a different kind of smile on his face now. He sighed and set the thought aside as he paced to his desk, leaning against it as he glanced at the object in his other hand.

Namie's phone didn't fit her. It was too cute for her. Maybe it was a gift from Seiji? He really couldn't be sure, but it wasn't really important. Maybe he was delaying himself just by thinking about it. That'd fit him to a T. He shook his head before typing out a message on his phone and hitting send. He let out a satisfied hum as Namie's phone buzzed in his hand and displayed a notification on the screen.

He stuffed the little phone in the pocket of his coat and turned around to face the black box on his desk. He opened it with the hidden switches on either side before shrugging out of his familiar garment, folding it up and depositing it in the chest. He'd miss _that_ thing, for sure, but he didn't think he'd need it where he was going. It was more a part of his image than necessity.

He shut the box. It made a soft clicking noise as it locked once more. Then he strolled out into the middle of his office and looked around. It was arranged in just the way he liked it - everything sorted to his tastes. A real information broker's lair. When did it stop feeling like a home?

He pulled a little matchbook out of his pocket, grabbing one before striking it on the outside to light it. He stared at the flame as it danced merrily before his eyes. The answer was remarkably obvious to him then. "Because home is where _you_ are."

* * *

"This is all your fault!" Namie snapped, just barely keeping herself from shouting.

"Namie…" Izaya said dejectedly as he saw the anger plainly on her features. What could he possibly say to that? Even with his memories starting to come back, he was still at a loss for words.

Namie turned away from him. She shook with a confusing mixture of anger, disbelief and hurt. "This was all just another of your stupid games."

Izaya shook his head frantically. "No, it wasn't. That video… it's all a fucking lie. I don't know why I recorded it."

And yet he'd recorded it anyways. They both understood that. Namie felt intensely alone, very suddenly. She couldn't trust Izaya after seeing that. "Did you know all along?" She asked him coldly.

"No, I didn't." He reached out and set a hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to turn around. "I forgot everything, too."

She slapped his hand away. "I'm not sure I can believe anything you say at this point. You put us through so much hell… for, for… for what?" She turned her head slightly to glance at him out of the corner of her eyes. It surprised Izaya how much that look stung him. "I can't even understand your motives."

He hated to admit it, but he was only just beginning to understand them himself. He remembered recording that video. He remembered feeling like he had to do this, the urgency, the need. But the meaning behind it, it was all so foggy to him. "I don't know why I did it." He said, though he knew that was a lie, too. "But I'm sorry."

She turned to glare at him. "It's a bit late for that, isn't it?" She said. "Why do you always have to drag other people into your schemes? Why bring me into this?"

Something was starting to click in Izaya's head. Something about what she'd said - and then it occurred to him. "You had a hand in this too." He said.

Namie scoffed at him. "How?" She demanded, giving him a flat look.

 _It was here, right?_ He thought to himself as he moved to Shinra's old desk. He reached under it until he felt something vaguely cylindrical. He tore the tape away from it until he could pull it away, then returned to Namie before presenting it to her. "With this."

Her expression turned confused as she accepted the object in question, taking it in her hands and staring at it. It was a translucent orange pill bottle, the kind often used for prescription drugs. Her eyes fluttered as she began to remember things, too.

* * *

Namie stared at the little white pills in her hand as she trudged through the foliage. The occasional fallen leaf or twig added a soft crunch to her automatic footsteps every now and again. Her thoughts were elsewhere.

Ikebukuro was far behind her, along with everything else that had made up her routine. The place she found herself in now was like another world, and it made her feel a little better to realize that there was more to the world than busy streets and towering skyscrapers. She didn't have to be trapped if she didn't want to be.

A voice from her side roused her from her thoughts. "Namie? You in there?" She blinked as she looked up to find Izaya peering at her with an amused look. "I'm sure those things are a miracle of modern medicine and all, but they can't be _that_ engrossing."

And he was here. That was the part of all this that confused her the most. She knew that she probably understood him best out of anyone, and still he seemed totally unpredictable to her.

But she was happy that she wasn't alone. She would never tell him that, but it was the truth. This was a journey she didn't want to take by herself, and having him along - even if it _was_ him - made it easier. "You know I'm not thinking about that." She said quietly.

She saw a little glimpse of worry in his features, and then it was gone. He was remarkably good at controlling the impressions he gave, she reflected as he carried on with his carefree facade. "Well, if you're not taking in the view at all, then you're just wasting the money I spent to get us here." He chided her. "And that is unforgivably rude."

Namie felt one corner of her lips twitch upwards in the tiniest beginnings of a smile. "If you're expecting politeness from me, Izaya, you must not know me very well." She replied. Despite that, however, she took the time to turn away from him and look around at the forest surrounding them.

It was massive, and green, and alive. She could hear a dozen different animals' songs if she listened closely enough. Sunlight streamed down to her through towering trees, and for one moment, she thought she could feel the united pulse of the living world around her.

Then it was over, and she was Namie Yagiri again. She looked back at Izaya over her shoulder once more with a wry smile. "There. Money well spent." She said.

Izaya rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it was positively transcendental." He said, moving to continue walking.

She caught his wrist with her free hand, and he stopped another step later, turning back to raise an eyebrow at her. "Izaya… I think I'm ready." She said.

She thought she saw a flicker of fear in his eyes. "Are you sure?" He asked.

She took a deep breath before nodding. "I am."

Izaya pulled his hand away and closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them again, the fear was gone. He put on his usual grin as he replied, "Then let's go find a good place to, well… wake up." He said.

* * *

Both of them blinked as they tried to process the things they were remembering. Namie winced as she looked away from the bottle. "I'm getting a headache." She said tiredly.

"So am I." Izaya admitted.

Namie shook her head before glaring at him again, though it had softened a little since last time. "But this is still your fault. You set all this up, even if I supplied the drugs that blocked our memories."

Izaya felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him at her continued anger. Why did any of this have to happen? "Why are you so obsessed with placing blame? We both contributed to this and we both got out of it unscathed."

Namie took a few steps forward to stand right in front of Izaya, staring him down. "Because I want to know _why_ you did it." She snapped.

He was starting to understand why, but now it just made him afraid. "Why does it matter?" He snapped right back, matching her stare for stare. "What's done is done, Namie! Let it go!"

"Because we might not get out of your next hare-brained scheme completely unscathed!" She said hotly. "Your actions have consequences, Izaya!"

 _Why…?_ "You really think I'm going to do something like this again?" He retorted.

Namie was adamant. "If you can't tell me why you did it, then sooner or later, you will." She said. "If you want to tell me what you said in that video was a lie, then tell me why you really did it."

"Because I didn't want to lose you!" The words were out of Izaya's mouth before he could really think about them. He'd only been fleetingly aware of this until now, and he still didn't fully understand his own motivations. But as he watched the expression on Namie's face change, he supposed he wouldn't have a chance to add any further nuance to it.

"Wait, what?" Namie said, the anger fading from her voice as she blinked at him.

Izaya pressed his palm to his forehead. His headache was getting worse. "Fuck, I'm pathetic."

* * *

Namie sat on the bedside in the little bedroom that Izaya rented for her as part of her job. It had never really felt like home, but it was the only place she could go most days to be alone.

She stared at the little phone in her hand as another text message came in from Mairu. _Can't find anything. Sorry._

Namie shook slightly as she bowed her head. She navigated to her contacts list and dialed Seiji's number before putting the phone to her ear. It rang, and rang, and rang, until eventually it stopped and she was told to try again. She hung up and stared at her phone for a minute more, her fingers shaking as she fought back tears.

Where was Seiji? Where was her precious little brother? Was he running away from her? Why? She couldn't find any of the answers to these questions, and her shoulders shook as she failed to keep the tears from starting to roll down her cheeks. "Please, Seiji…" She pleaded into the empty air. "Come back."

She stayed like that for a while until a knock on her door caught her attention. It could only be one person. "Go away." She said harshly.

She heard the locks click before the door opened to reveal Izaya, holding a set of spare keys. He pocketed them before strolling over to her and staring down at her with a frown. "What the hell are you doing? I need you in the office." He said.

She glared at him through bloodshot eyes. "Fuck you." She replied.

Izaya blinked, before bending over slightly to get a closer look at her. "What's wrong with you? Have you been crying?" He said, his tone softening slightly.

She looked away from him. "That's none of your business. Get out of here, Izaya."

"Tell me what's wrong, Namie." He said, calmly but firmly.

The little note of genuine concern in his voice just made her more upset. "What do you _think?_ " She said.

Izaya sighed before offering, "Seiji?"

Namie nodded ever so slightly. "He's run away. Nobody can find him and he won't answer my calls."

Izaya smirked. "Nobody in this city has more information than me. I can probably find him." He said. "It might cost you, though."

"I already looked through your files." She said bitterly.

Izaya frowned. When had she done that? She was sneakier than he'd given her credit for. "Well, regardless, there's contacts I can reach that you wouldn't find in my files." He said.

She didn't like the idea of getting help from him. But she wanted Seiji back. "Go find something, then." She said.

"Are you going to come back to work?" He asked her. "Information isn't free."

"You're horrible." She replied, turning to glare at him for a moment.

He raised an eyebrow at her before straightening up and turning away. "I'll take that as a delayed yes. I'll see you again when I've got your precious Seiji back." He said as he opened the door and departed.

Five hours later, Izaya was stumped. He had no idea where Seiji was. Mika Harima had to have something to do with that, he ruminated as he rose from his desk and headed back to Namie's room. Maybe he could convince her some other way. His office had been uncomfortably quiet all day.

She was in the same place as before when he unlocked her door and stepped inside again. Had she moved at all? This was really getting to her. He headed over to the bed and sat down alongside her. "Did you find anything?" She asked quietly when he didn't say anything for a minute.

"No, I didn't." He admitted. "Whatever he did, he covered his tracks incredibly well." Namie said nothing, though he saw her shiver once. He frowned as he eyed her carefully. "Is there anything I can do to cheer you up?" He asked helplessly.

"No." Was her reply.

"What are you going to do, Namie?" He said.

She didn't say anything.

Izaya leaned closer. "Namie, you have to have a plan of action with something like this. If you don't, you'll just end up hurting yourself."

"That's okay. Nothing could hurt me more than this." She said. Her voice sounded dead and emotionless.

Izaya felt a little stab of cold in his chest. At this rate, she was going to do something she couldn't take back. He needed something drastic, and he needed it now. "What if I took you on a vacation or something?" He said.

She blinked, before turning to give him an unamused look. "That doesn't bring Seiji back." She said coldly.

 _But it got a reaction from you._ He thought. "It's not about bringing Seiji back, it's about forgetting him." He said. Now the gears were beginning to turn in his head. "Hell, we can go somewhere far, far away. Somewhere so different from what you're used to, you won't even recognize it."

Namie sighed. Her bitter, distant tone took on a new note of exasperation. "You're annoying." She said.

Izaya grinned at her. "I'm not messing with you here, Namie. You need to uproot yourself at a time like this. Leave Ikebukuro behind for awhile and start living again."

She stared at him in confused disbelief. "Why?"

He stood up and started to pace in front of her. "Because sometimes you need to destroy yourself to start over properly. Some of our baggage is buried so deep in ourselves that the only way to let go of it is something catastrophic."

Namie almost seemed to be considering it for a moment before she looked away from him again. "I don't need one of your stupid monologues." She said.

He knelt down in front of her, setting a finger on her cheek to turn her face back towards his. "It's not a monologue. Help me to help you forget all this crap. Let's destroy ourselves together." He said. "Think of it like a suicide pact, but fun."

She was always hard to read. But he could tell, then and there, that he was starting to break through the waves of apathy that had begun to drown her. Her expression became distantly thoughtful for several seconds before she seemed to come up with one more objection. "But why would you come with me?" She said.

He stood up again and offered a hand to her, grinning as always. "Because nobody should have to die alone. The same principle applies here, I think."

It was a completely crazy proposition, and she knew it. It didn't help that Izaya Orihara was the one offering it to her. She stared at the offered hand for what seemed like ages.

And then, she reached out and took it.

* * *

Namie blinked blearily at Izaya as the last of it came back to her. Everything was starting to look different to her now. "So… so, everything we did - destroying all of our stuff, going to Ireland, losing our memories - we did all of it because you were worried about me. Because you wanted to make me feel better." She said quietly, disbelievingly.

Izaya rubbed uncomfortably at the back of his neck. "I guess… but when you put it that way, it kinda makes me sound like an idiot." He admitted.

It was so reckless, and foolish, and short-sighted. It was chivalrous in the most pigheaded, absurd sort of way. It was such a completely roundabout way of telling her how he really felt.

It was so _him._

"Izaya…" She'd leaned closer to him without realizing it, and she closed the last of the distance to capture his lips with hers without a second thought. She felt Izaya freeze in shock for a moment before he began to return the kiss. It was soft, and warm, and surprisingly chaste for the two people sharing it - and it satisfied Namie in a way she hadn't really expected.

He looked a little dazed when she pulled away. It made her smile. "You _are_ an idiot." She said.

Izaya shook himself to try to clear his head, but he couldn't help feeling a little dizzy. There were too many things going through his head that he didn't know how to process, now. "I am an idiot." He admitted. "But, I'm confused." He said, staring at her. "Why the sudden switch? You were furious at me a moment ago."

Namie looked briefly thoughtful. "I guess I just finally realized what kind of person you really are. I like that person." She confirmed with a small nod of her head.

"Well, that's one of us who likes me." He said with a smirk. "Still, what does this say about your taste in men?"

She laughed, and right then, it was the most beautiful sound in the world for Izaya. "I can't help it. I like what I like." She said.

Izaya sighed and looked away for a moment. He was happy, but that happiness came with a flutter of fear. It was difficult to look her in the eyes, now. "So, you're not mad with me anymore?"

Namie gave him a concerned look as he turned away, but shook her head. "No, I don't think so. You're stupid, but I can forgive that."

Izaya smiled to himself as he looked around at the darkened school. How long had they been there? "That's gracious of you." He said, before turning back to her. "We should probably get out of here soon, but there's one last thing I need to get before we go."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Hm?" She said curiously.

He strolled forward through the rows of desks until he reached one at the front. His fingers traced the underside until he found the object taped under it. He pulled it away, before smiling victoriously as he eyed his prize. Namie moved close to peer at it over his shoulder.

It was a little black plastic card with "Izaya Orihara" printed on the front. It looked like a bank card. "Is that what I think it is?" She said.

"If I'm remembering correctly, yes." Izaya said as he pocketed it. "We won't know for sure until we try it out, though." He turned his head to eye her. "You hungry?" He asked.

Namie nodded with a grimace. "Starving." She admitted.

He took a step past her towards the exit. "Then let's go get something to eat."

* * *

Izaya's fingers danced over the screen of his phone as Namie drove them through the streets of Ikebukuro. "Where are we headed?" She asked him.

Izaya looked thoughtful for a moment before replying, "Russia Sushi." He went back to paying attention to his phone once he'd spoken.

Namie eyed the phone out of the corner of her eye as he continued to fiddle with it. "Why there? It's kind of a weird choice." She said.

"I'd kinda like to keep it quiet that I'm back in town. Russia Sushi's usually pretty quiet and empty, and I think I can trust Simon and Dennis not to gossip about me to anyone." Izaya explained.

"Being subtle for once, hm?" She said with an amused note to her voice.

"Hey, I'm plenty subtle." He retorted. "Just, you know, less so this week."

"Mmmhmm." Namie said sarcastically. She glanced his way again. He was still staring at his phone. "Who are you texting, there?"

Izaya sighed and pocketed the phone after typing something out. "Just my sisters. Now that I've got my phone back, I figured they _probably_ deserved to know I was still alive. They didn't seem too excited, though." He said with a scowl out the window.

"Does that bother you?" She asked.

Izaya blinked. "What, my sisters? I don't really care. They're free to do whatever they want, I guess."

Namie tilted her head in his direction. "It seems like it bothers you."

Izaya raised an eyebrow at her. "Since when are you a mind-reader?"

Namie smirked out the windshield. "I don't need to be a mind-reader to pick up on your cues after spending months dealing with you every day." She turned her head to peer at him as they stopped at a red light. "Like it or not, Izaya, I can read you better than probably anyone else."

Izaya shivered a little as he looked away. "So you can." He admitted.

"Izaya?" She said his name with obvious concern as she looked away too to continue driving.

"It's nothing." He said. "Don't worry about it. Look, we're here!" He gestured to the building approaching on their left, which the signage declared "Russia Sushi".

Namie pulled the car to a stop at the first open space she could find. She fixed Izaya with a frown as he got out without saying anything more, before getting out herself to follow him.

As usual, Simon was out front trying to attract customers. He was in the middle of soliciting a young woman who looked like a tourist when he caught sight of Izaya. "Oh! Izaya. You are not dead!" He said cheerily.

"Hello to you, too, Simon." Izaya said with a grin as he passed the larger man by. Namie smiled at him too as she passed by, and got one in return before she followed Izaya into the store proper.

It was empty, as it tended to get on weekdays. Izaya looked around for some sign of Dennis, but couldn't find him before Simon had followed them inside too. "So, what are you two having?" He asked as he stepped into Izaya's line of sight.

Izaya flinched for a moment as the giant suddenly filled his field of view. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the black card he'd found at the school before offering it to Simon. "I don't really care. Just pick something hearty for us and tell me if that card works when you ring us up."

"This not stolen, is it?" Simon said seriously as he eyed the card. "Hm. It has your name on it. Okay!" He said, his suspicions allayed almost the moment they'd come up. "I will be back soon!" With that he turned and headed behind the counter.

Namie and Izaya both took a seat at the counter a moment later, Izaya leaning on it with both elbows while Namie sat up straight with her hands in her lap. "I don't think I've ever had anything from this place before - just picked stuff up for you." She said.

Izaya smiled wistfully. "There's a reason I don't order from this place often."

Namie grimaced. After a minute, Simon returned, offering Izaya his card with one hand and a tray of assorted - and strange - sushi with the other. "Card is good! Much like sushi." He said as Izaya took the card. Simon set the tray down on the counter before nodding to his two customers. "Let me know if you need more!" With that he disappeared back into the kitchen.

Namie peered at their food. "Is that cheese?" She said after a moment.

Izaya chuckled softly. "Among other things."

Namie stared at the cheese roll a second longer before taking it and eating it without any further hesitation. "Hmmm…" she said as she finished chewing and swallowed it, "It's not _that_ bad." She reflected.

Izaya tried one a moment later, grimacing as he swallowed it. "That is a very generous assessment." He replied.

Namie grinned as she turned her attention to him. "I guess I've just got tougher taste buds than you do."

"That's not exactly something to be proud of." Izaya said.

"Maybe not, but I'll take any victory I can get with you." She said.

Izaya smiled to himself, but didn't say anything back. An awkward silence slowly fell between the two of them as they ate.

"So… Izaya…" Namie said as she took another break. Her voice was less certain than before. She still wasn't entirely certain how to broach the topic of what they'd done back at the school.

Izaya could already tell what she was trying to get at - which was why it surprised him that he couldn't think of anything to say. He felt nervous, and uncomfortable, and completely out of his element. Why was he so scared, when he knew what he wanted? "Yes, Namie?" He said, avoiding looking at her.

She was about to reply when the sound of the door opening caught both of their attentions. Two girls in matching hoodies, one yellow and one green, walked into the restaurant and immediately began heading their way. "So you really aren't dead!" The one in yellow said, grinning with all her teeth at once.

"No, Mairu, I'm not." He replied.

The one in green said nothing, but hurried forward to hug him. Izaya flinched for a moment before leaning into the hug slightly without adding to it. "Kururi!" Mairu chided her before pulling her quieter sister away. "Stop that."

"I missed him." Kururi protested softly.

Mairu rolled her eyes. "And I'll never understand why."

"And neither will I." Izaya said with a smirk. "But thanks anyways, Kururi."

Kururi nodded at him. Mairu took a seat next to Namie, and her sister sat next to Izaya a second later. "I noticed you kinda dropped off the map while Izaya was gone, too." Mairu said as she peered at Namie.

Namie smiled at the excitable high-schooler. "That's not a coincidence." She said.

"Ooooh." Mairu said as she leaned forward on the counter so she could look at both Izaya and Namie at once. "What were you two doing together, I wonder?" She said with a lascivious smile.

Izaya winced. Not the topic he'd been hoping for. Maybe he should've expected it from Mairu. "Getting kidnapped." He said, staring her down.

"Kidnapped?" Kururi said from Izaya's side, looking surprised.

"Woah! How'd you get back?" Mairu said. "It better have been an adventure!"

Namie spoke up before Izaya could. "Well, it wasn't your typical kidnapping. We weren't being held hostage at any point, since Izaya himself organized it."

Mairu's eyes widened. "Izaya kidnapped you?" She slammed her fists on the counter as her smile returned. "So it _is_ like I thought it was!"

"No, it's not!" Izaya snapped. He'd called them out here to _avoid_ these topics, not bring them up. Why did they always have to be such a pain?

Mairu stared at Izaya, then turned to Namie. "Is he lying? He looks kinda fidgety."

Namie smirked as she leaned towards Izaya, peering at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Welllll…" She said teasingly.

"Namie!" Izaya said with disbelief in his voice.

"I can't believe it!" Mairu said, practically bouncing in her seat. "Izaya's got a crush!"

"I never saw it coming." Kururi said from her seat.

"You two are incredibly annoying." Izaya said as he put his face in his hands.

"Now you know how I feel about _you_." Namie said with a wry smile.

"What a cute couple!" Mairu said, trying to catch a glimpse of Izaya through his fingers.

Izaya groaned as he turned around in his seat, ready to get up. "Namie, are you ready to go? I think I'm done eating."

Namie was having a hard time wiping the smile off her face. It was a rare thing to see Izaya Orihara looking flustered. "Ready when you are."

"Oooh, where are you going? A love hotel?" Mairu said as she got to her feet.

Izaya glared at her. "None of your business." He said.

Namie winked at Mairu. "Probably just a normal hotel, sadly."

Mairu tittered to herself. Izaya blinked as he felt a pair of arms encircle him from behind as Kururi hugged him again. "Stay safe, okay, big brother?" She said quietly.

Izaya felt a little of his irritation subside as he reached back to gently pat Kururi's arm. "I'll try." He said as she let go of him. The two girls watched Izaya and Namie depart.

"How long do you think it'll be until he breaks?" Mairu said as she glanced back at her sister.

"Probably just the night." Kururi said as she smiled faintly.

Izaya was most of the way back to the car when Simon's voice caught his attention. "Wait, Izaya!" He shouted.

Izaya turned around to find the burly Russian chasing him down. He gave the man a curious look as he slowed to a stop in front of the information broker. "What is it?" Izaya asked.

"I have this for you." Simon said as he offered an envelope to Izaya. "Almost forgot."

Izaya blinked as he took the envelope and stared at it. "Who's it from?" He asked.

"Funny thing." Simon said as he pointed to Izaya. "Is from you!" He said with a smile. "Last week, you come tell me to hold onto this, and give it to you if I ever see you again."

Izaya scowled at the letter. Probably more taunting or riddles. He forced a smile as he looked back at Simon again. "I see. Thanks, Simon." He said with a slight bow of his head.

"No problem! You eat sushi again sometime, yeah?" He said, before departing back to the restaurant.

Izaya sighed as he got back into the car alongside Namie. She peered at the envelope in his hands before he put it in one of his coat pockets. "What was that?" She asked.

Izaya gave her a reassuring smile. "More junk mail from my past self. Don't mind it. Let's go find a hotel, yeah?"

Namie nodded, and a moment later they pulled back out into the streets of Ikebukuro.

* * *

They managed to find a room at a decent hotel before nightfall, much to Izaya's relief. It had two beds, and Izaya couldn't help feeling a little relief at that, too, as he sat down on the one nearer to the window. "Ugh." He said tiredly as he glanced over his shoulder at the darkening sky outside.

"It's been a long day." Namie said as she sat down on the other bed. "We were all over Ikebukuro today." She reminded him.

Izaya nodded. "Yeah. That was a wild goose chase if I've ever been on one."

Namie grinned at him. "I'm sure you've been on many." She said, going quiet a moment before changing the subject. "Your sisters are pretty cute."

Izaya gave her a flat look. "Not you too." He said, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. "They're pretty annoying, is what they are."

"They certainly know how to push your buttons. I could probably learn a thing or two from them." She said.

"Trust me, you already know enough." He said. This was their normal banter - It had been their little form of fun for ages. And yet, there was something different to it now that made him feel apprehensive. Her voice was sweeter and the way she looked at him was gentler. Not to mention the way _he_ wanted to look at _her._ He didn't know what to do about any of it.

"I think there's a lot I'd still like to know." She said, her voice less teasing and more serious now. For her part, Namie wasn't sure what to do from here. She knew now that she had been suppressing feelings for Izaya - but his reaction made her wonder if he reciprocated. He seemed so cagey and uncomfortable now.

"Namie…" Izaya said quietly, a note of protest in his voice.

"Izaya… I know it's awkward, and maybe you haven't thought about it much yet, but at some point I'd really like to know your thoughts on, well… you and me." There. She'd said it. She was surprised at how fast her heart was beating now. She didn't think anyone but Seiji could make her this nervous.

Izaya's mind flashed to that one kiss. It was such a simple gesture, and yet it had affected him on so many levels. He wanted to tell her how much he'd enjoyed it - and how much more afraid it made him of losing her. How afraid it made him of being hurt. But he couldn't even say that much without opening himself up.

"I'm really sorry that I'm being so distant." He said. "I guess I'm still figuring that out, myself."

Namie's heart sank. No fairytale romances for her. A small part of her mind wondered darkly if he was going to become another Seiji. She forced a smile as she nodded at him. "Of course, Izaya. No pressure."

It hurt to see the little cracks in her mask, but Izaya didn't know what to say right then. He settled for smiling back at her and nodding.

The rest of the night passed in awkward silence and occasional, brief conversation. Before he knew it, Namie was asleep in her bed, and the night outside had grown dark. Izaya laid in his bed, contemplating sleep. He sat up and removed his phone from his coat pocket, setting it on the nightstand. He was about to take off the coat too when he realized something was in the other pocket.

"Right, the letter…" He said quietly to himself as he pulled it out of his pocket. He stared at the envelope as he considered tossing it in the trash. It was unlikely anything he could've written to himself would've been worthwhile.

"Fuck it…" He sighed as he tore the seal and opened it. He pulled out a sheet of printed paper and unfolded it. Unlike the other notes, this one was extremely brief, with only two words printed at the top in black ink.

 _Stop running._

Izaya stared at those two words, and shivered. Then he folded it up and tossed it aside on the bed. He could only wonder what context his past self had expected him to see that message in, but now…

Namie had turned out the lights on her side of the room, and when he peered across the room to her bed, her face was framed in shadow as she slept peacefully under the covers. She looked serene - and beautiful. Just her face sent a million different urges through Izaya that he had mostly been able to ignore up until today.

"I'm so pathetic…" Izaya whispered to himself as he slung his coat to the floor at the foot of the bed, turning out the light and laying back in his bed. Shinra had once said that Izaya had a glass heart, and that that was why he'd always been so careful to keep others at arm's length. He could reflect all different kinds of humanity, but he'd be shattered at an indelicate touch.

As he felt himself drifting off, he wondered if Namie would be able to keep him intact.

* * *

Izaya's eyes fluttered open what felt like minutes later, but by the sunlight beginning to creep through the window, he could tell it'd been hours. He turned to look towards Namie's bed and found her still asleep, as always seemed to be the case when he woke up. Maybe she was a heavier sleeper than he.

The events of the last night still lingered in his mind as he got out of bed and stretched, slowly getting to his feet. He still wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to say to her, but maybe now was the ideal time to practice. She probably wouldn't be up for a while, given how early it was. He stepped over his coat as he made his way to the bathroom.

He ended up staring at himself in the mirror. His dark hair was messy, and after a week of inattention it was starting to grow out past the length he liked to keep it at, dangling over his forehead. He also reflected that he could use a change of clothes. He and Namie had been wandering around in what they woke up in for a few days now.

He just kept staring even as the thoughts faded. Was he really going to do this? He felt awkward even just thinking about it. "Namie, I…" he began, and quickly shut his mouth. "Basically, my feelings for you, are… are…" He groaned as he shut himself up again. Nothing he said sounded right. Why was this so difficult?

He smirked bitterly at the image of himself in the mirror. Maybe Shinra was right. He could hold the whole underworld of Ikebukuro in the palm of his hand, but he couldn't articulate his feelings to a woman he cared about. He was a glass-hearted, emotionally-broken child who manipulated people to keep them where he wanted them.

"You really think you deserve any of this?" He said to himself. "You gave up the right to be happy when you decided to love humanity. Watching people is your life now. Why are you pretending you can have anything else?" Talking like this was easy. Being a devil was easy. Being himself was so much harder. Maybe it really was his own fault.

"Izaya?" A soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked towards the door to the bathroom in surprise. Namie was standing there, looking at him curiously. "Am I interrupting something?" She said.

Izaya stepped away from the mirror. "No, no, nothing like that. Sorry about that. Did you need to use the bathroom? I can leave, if you like." He said.

Namie shook her head as she took a few steps closer. "No, I was just wondering where you'd gone. Then I heard your voice from the bathroom, so…" She said, trailing off before smiling wryly at him. "Were you practicing one of your monologues?"

Izaya blinked once before chuckling. "No, I don't need to practice those. Monologuing just comes naturally to me. It's my natural mode of communication, don't you know?"

She strolled a little closer until she was in front of him. "It certainly suits your grandiose nature. You definitely know how to make your point, Izaya Orihara." She said, her smile softening as she met his eyes.

Izaya felt himself tensing up. He was so totally unused to her behaving like this around him. He was even less accustomed to wanting this kind of attention from someone, and yet he couldn't deny that he _did_ want it from her. And as he stared back at her, he realized she was looking at him expectantly. He didn't know what to say.

So he kissed her. She let out a small, surprised gasp as their lips met, but a moment later she was kissing him back, her arms gently sliding around his neck. He reached up to run his fingers through her dark hair as he enjoyed the warmth, the closeness and her taste on his lips.

She was breathing a little more heavily when he pulled away, her cheeks faintly red. She looked so beautiful, and the way she was looking at him now sent shivers down his spine.

Maybe it really was that easy?

"Namie…" He said, his fingers still gliding through her hair. "I love you."

She smiled at him, but didn't say anything just yet. His hand moved from her hair to her cheek as he felt his chest tightening with nerves. "Namie? Are you okay?"

She seemed to shake herself from something before nodding. "I am…" She said, nuzzling her cheek against his fingers as she seemed to find her words, "But there's something that still kind of nags at me."

He frowned as he watched her. "What is it?"

She sighed, then continued, "When you say that you love me… is it the same kind of love you mean when you say you 'love humanity'?" She looked a little worried as she stared into his eyes.

That was what was bothering her? Izaya couldn't quite manage to suppress a breath of laughter. Namie's frown deepened. "What's so funny?" She asked him.

Izaya shook his head slightly as he smiled at her. "Sorry, it's just… When I say I love humanity, I don't really, well… mean it. It's just a defense mechanism. I "love" humanity to place myself apart from it. To deny that I'm a human myself, with emotions and vulnerabilities." He pulled his hand away from her cheek as he realized it was shaking. "But I _am_ human, and apparently quite nervous around you."

Namie reached up to take his shaking hand in hers, slowly knitting her fingers with his. He felt a little rush of relief as the smile returned to her face. "I see. That… makes me feel considerably better." She admitted. She leaned a little closer to nuzzle her forehead against his as she said, "I love you too, Izaya."

Izaya felt a little quiver of excitement in his stomach he hadn't ever felt before. Then he set the fingers of his free hand under her chin to guide her face up to his, and kissed her once more.

Each of them knew the other wasn't perfect. There would no doubt be problems tomorrow, or a week from now, or maybe even later today. Each of them still had their own issues to conquer.

But in that moment, they were happy.


End file.
